New Hearts boss Daniel Stendel took to Facebook to defend himself over claims made by former club Barnsley.

The German was confirmed as Craig Levein’s replacement on Saturday evening following a protracted process.

Stendel was sacked by Barnsley earlier in the season and the Tykes are demanding compensation. In a statement they claimed he had entered into negotiations with another Championship club while still managing the side.

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New Hearts boss Daniel Stendel has hit back at Barnsley. Picture: SNS

Hearts made their own statement, assuring fans that they owe the struggling Championship nothing.

The 45-year-old, who arrived in Edinburgh on Monday evening, has hit back on his official Facebook page, stating “I gave my full commitment, energy and passion for the club and their supporters… I was always honest and documented strongly that I wanted to continue to work with the team in order to achieve the goals of the club.”

In full it read:

“Herewith I want to respond to the statement of FC Barnsley. I experienced the people in Barnsley as honest and straight forward and therefore would like to present my point of view:

“During my entire time at Barnsley I gave my full commitment, energy and passion for the club and their supporters. I always put the sporting results of Barnsley first and always tried to achieve the very best results that were possible. We had a fantastic last season in League 1, securing promotion to the Championship, playing some very entertaining football.

“The start to this season was very difficult though, with the club being unable to retain several key players from the promotion team and couldn’t replace these experienced players. I always remained committed and accepted all the decisions of the Board during my entire time - including the decision to terminate my contract with immediate effect. At the day of my dismissal I wasn't informed about any detailed reasons.

“The week before my dismissal I asked for an open discussion about the sporting situation with a Board Member, during which none of the reasons that apparently led to my dismissal were raised as complaints. I was always honest and documented strongly that I wanted to continue to work with the team in order to achieve the goals of the club. I was then dismissed after the disappointing defeat to Preston.

“After the termination of my contract, I have made it clear that even then I was open to finding an amicable resolution in order to keep noise away from the team.