Grenier thankful for support after World Cup heartbreak

France’s Clement Grenier is grateful for the support he has received after being ruled out of the FIFA World Cup.

The Lyon midfielder was part of France coach Didier Deschamps’ 23-man squad for the marquee tournament that starts in Brazil next week.

However, Grenier pulled up in training with a groin injury on Thursday – having been plagued by a similar issue at the back end of the Ligue 1 season – and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.

Writing on his official Twitter account, Grenier said: “Thank you for all your messages of support. They are going straight to the heart.

“This is a difficult time but I will come back stronger.”

Grenier’s injury represented part of a double blow for Deschamps, after it was announced talisman Franck Ribery would also miss the World Cup.

The Bayern Munich winger had hoped to recover from a back injury in time to feature, but had to leave training on Friday after suffering pain in the warm-up.

Montpellier’s Remy Cabella and Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin have been called up as replacements.

France begin their World Cup campaign with a Group E encounter against Honduras on June 15.