WATCH: Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus in tears as he is carried off the pitch after suffering serious injury

Marco Reus appeared to be in tears as he was stretchered off the field after he suffered a severe injury during Borussia Dortmund's match against Schalke.

Marco Reus has been in fine form for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund this season. He has scored three goals and provided four assists from nine appearances across all competitions prior to today (September 17).

However, the Germany international suffered a major setback during Dortmund's league clash against Schalke today. He hit the deck after seemingly twisting his ankle less than 30 minutes into the match.

The 33-year-old attacker was evidently distraught as received treatment from the physios. He had his right ankle bandaged, but was eventually replaced by United States international Gio Reyna.

It became evident that Reus' injury was serious as he could not even walk off the pitch. The player was visibly emotional and appeared to be crying when he was forced off the field on a stretcher.

Watch the video of the German being taken off on a stretcher:

It now remains to be seen how long the former Borussia Monchengladbach attacker will be sidelined for. He will be hopeful that he can return to action soon.

Reus' injury was a huge blow to Dortmund's hopes of beating Schalke at Signal Iduna Park. However, Terzic's side managed to earn a narrow 1-0 victory over the Royal Blues.

It appeared the two teams might have to share the spoils, with the scoreline reading 0-0 for the majority of the game. Youssoufa Moukouko, though, broke the deadlock for the hosts just before the 80-minute mark.

The 17-year-old's sole goal earned Die Borussen the victory over Schalke at home. The win has also seen them go atop the Bundesliga table, having earned 15 points from seven matches.

Dortmund now enjoy a one-point lead over second-placed Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. However, Urs Fischer could become the table-toppers if they beat Wolfsburg on Sunday (September 18).

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Dortmund star Reus receives blow to FIFA World Cup hopes

The attacker has been one of the best players in the German top flight for years now. However, his career has been plagued by injuries and has thus perhaps not been able to achieve his full potential.

Injuries have prevented the 33-year-old from playing several major tournaments for the German national team. He missed the 2012 and 2016 European Championship, as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup due to such setbacks.

Reus has not featured for Hansi Flick's side since producing a stellar performance against Liechtenstein in November last year. He is thus in no way a guaranteed member of Germany's squad for this year's World Cup in Qatar.

However, today's injury will prove to be a major blow to the player's remaining hopes of making the squad.