Gerhard Struber's departure from Barnsley FC is confirmed

The Austrian was the subject of a formal approach from the MLS franchise early last week after the Red Bulls identified the 43-year-old as their number one target to replace Chris Armas, who was sacked last month.

The New York outfit agreed to pay a buy-out clause in Struber's deal - worth around £1.82m - and the 43-year-old has now completed his move to the club.

While professing to be 'extremely disappointed' at the former Wolfsberger head coach's departure, Reds CEO Dane Murphy paid tribute to the work of Struber.

He said: “I must start by thanking Gerhard for the last 11 months. Tasked with maintaining the Club’s Championship status, he took a difficult position at Oakwell last November.

"Despite the seven point deficit and COVID-19 , his belief never wavered and the night at Brentford will live long in the memory of all supporters.

“As much as we wanted Gerhard to remain at Oakwell we were not in a position to deny him this opportunity with a buy-out clause in his contract and his connection within the Red Bull set-up.

“Looking toward the immediate future, the recruitment process for a replacement has already begun and we will update supporters when appropriate.

"In the interim, Adam Murray will take charge of first team matters. This club has good people across numerous departments that will do their utmost to assist Adam.”