Barnsley FC's Vimal Yoganathan salutes Daniel Stendel 'culture' as he lifts lid on injury comeback
Vimal Yoganathan spoke following his return from injury in Barnsley’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City
Barnsley midfielder Vimal Yoganathan has saluted the “culture” fostered by manager Daniel Stendel.
The 20-year-old made his first competitive appearance under the German at the weekend having recovered from a fractured tibia.
He stepped off the bench in a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Leicester City, helping the 10-man Reds get over the line against a star-studded Foxes side.
Barnsley’s second-half performance was incredibly spirited and Yoganathan has given credit to Stendel for promoting unity.
Vimal Yoganathan salutes Daniel Stendel’s Barnsley ‘culture’
He said: “He's been really good with the lads, a great culture. I think that's something he's tried to instil into us. Whatever we do, we do it together.
“The team talk at the end of the game as well - we're all together, not just players but as a club and as a fanbase. We all do everything together and we stick with each other regardless of whether it's good or bad.”
Stendel returned to the Barnsley helm in the summer, replacing Conor Hourihane for his second spell as Reds boss.
Yoganathan caught the manager’s eye in pre-season, only for injury to sideline the Wales Under-21s international for the first nine games of the season.
Recovery from injury
The midfielder said: “I'm always grateful to be on the pitch. I think you become even more grateful when you get injured and being away from it all. So coming back, it was just a great feeling.
“Obviously, [we got] a great reception from the fans, so I just enjoyed it. I think that was the thing I told myself today. Just regardless of what happens, if you get on the pitch, just go and enjoy it and I did.
“[It was] obviously tough, but I just put my head down and did what I could. Obviously, tried to recover as quickly as I could. Like the gaffer said, I was ahead of schedule in the end, so that's come down to my hard work and I'm just grateful to be back on the pitch
“I'm always grateful and even more grateful for the fans, how they responded towards the end of the game and when the game finished. It just felt like we were 11 v 11 in the end because the extra man with the fans being there helped us and it definitely did.”