Stuttgart - VfB Stuttgart midfielder Yildiray Basturk suffered the latest setback in an injury-ridden career in the form of a ruptured ankle ligament, his German Bundesliga club announced on Wednesday.

Stuttgart said on their website that the former Turkey international Basturk will be sidelined for up to four weeks after sustaining the injury during training on Tuesday.

Basturk, 30, only returned to action from another injury last week in Stuttgart's third division team. He has played just four top flight games this season.

The midfielder, who played at Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin before joining Stuttgart in 2007, has been plagued by injuries, many of them owing to muscular problems, for years.

"Illi's bad luck is unbelievable," said Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel. "He was in good shape and close to playing (in the first team) again, and now he is out again for a long time." (dpa)