DANIEL Stendel is ‘exactly what we need’ says Barnsley favourite and academy manager Bobby Hassell who is hoping the German will have plenty of youth system products to work with in the coming years.

Stendel rejoined the Reds as head coach earlier this month, having previously led them to promotion out of League One in 2019.

He is due to start full-time next month but was back briefly earlier this week, during which time he reconnected with Hassell who he worked closely with in his first spell.

Hassell told the Chronicle: “I think he’s exactly what we need at the minute as a person and a coach. He’s full of passion and very driven.

“He will work the lads extremely hard on the training pitch. There will not be many days off. It might be a culture shock for some players after previous managers but they will be very well-drilled.

“He’s exactly the same as last time.

“There will be changes in recruitment over the summer, but he will try to produce the football Barnsley fans like which is high-intensity pressing and getting the ball forward quickly.

“He had a really good team for the level last time but they had just been relegated and it was Daniel who got them going. I’m really looking forward to having him back in the building.”

Hassell is hopeful Stendel will also benefit the youth system. He said: “He was a catalyst for a lot of success for the academy last time. Jacob Brown was about to leave but he stayed under Daniel and was very successful.

“He gave other players opportunities.

“He will give our young players a chance this time. I am obviously very pro young players, and they tend to surprise you in a good way, but you can’t put too many in too early, all together. You need experience around them.”

Barnsley’s first team gave the most minutes to academy players in the season that has just finished since the campaign when Stendel won promotion in 2018/19.

Hassell says the Oakwell academy is financially ‘self-sufficient’ while most of the funding comes from the Premier League.

Barnsley recently lost defenders Oliver Wilkinson, 15, and Josh Kenchington, 14, to Premier League clubs Ipswich Town and Newcastle United.

The Reds are thought to have received just under £1million combined for the England youth internationals.

They do not have any scouts but rely on working with private academies and grassroots clubs as well as a development centre which is based at Oakwell, while Mick Tarmey is head of recruitment. The Reds under 18s have taken the most points of all category two academy teams across the country over the last six years.

Hassell said: “It’s a massive achievement and that’s something to be proud of. Charlton win the southern league every year, but we have more points than them across the last six years, as well as the two Sheffield clubs.

“We always play our best under 18s in the under 21s then we have a lot of younger players in the under 18s.

“We fish in a small tank and you are competing with clubs who fish in the ocean but I think we do a good job.

“Our new under 18s age group is a fantastic team and there could be a lot of good players who come out of that group.

“You can never predict exactly what will happen when they go from academy football to the first team.

“There is a very high expectation on academy kids in football and it never used to be like that.

“We’re certainly hoping, in the next five or six years, a lot of players will come through into the first team.”

Players from the under 18s team that won the league and play-off double in 2023 are now first team squad members such as Vimal Yoganathan, Jonathan Bland and Leo Farrell while Rogan Ravenhill and Fabio Jalo have been out on loan.

Hassell said: “We did research on the under 18s teams from other clubs who won the league and four or five of them all went on to have good careers.

“It’s not all about winning at youth level but I think a winning mentality is one of the best assets you can have as a footballer. I told the club that three or four of that team would have a career at Barnsley FC. I think Blandy and Vimal have had excellent seasons.

“Leo is a mobile targetman and goal-scorer who is brilliant at pressing so he’s perfect for Daniel’s style.”