Enrico Maaßen, 36, has been appointed as the head coach of the Borussia Dortmund U23s ahead of the new season. The Wismar native will succeed Mike Tullberg, who will take over the U19s in the summer. Maaßen has penned a deal until the summer of 2022.

Maaßen ended his playing career in 2014 following a spell at now Regionalliga club SV Drochtersen, whom he coached following his retirement until the summer of 2018. He subsequently switched to Regionalliga side SV Rödinghausen, transforming the club into the leading light in the western pool. But Maaßen will leave that role in the summer. Once SV Rödinghausen announced in spring that they would forego any possible promotion to the third tier, Maaßen asked for his contract to be dissolved at the end of the campaign.

Prior to the cancellation of the current campaign, Enrico Maaßen's team topped what is arguably the strongest regional league in Germany with an average of 2.4 points per game. Maaßen likes to play an attacking brand of football: in their 27 matches, SV Rödinghausen scored 66 goals and conceded only 19. Furthermore, the team has a high degree of tactical flexibility and have an incredible aura of dominance on the pitch.

Ricken: "In Maaßen and Tullberg, we've made outstanding appointments to oversee the transition to the Bundesliga team"

Ingo Preuß, the sporting director of the U23s, is delighted about the coaching appointment. "I'm delighted that it worked out, because we had some rivals for his signature. And I'm especially delighted because he has completely won us over on a sporting level and this solution will be a good thing for our many young players in particular." Lars Ricken, the BVB youth coordinator, shares that delight: "Enrico Maaßen is our solution of choice. He is a coach who, despite his young age, has performed outstanding work in both of his previous coaching roles. With him for the U23s and Mike Tullberg for the U19s, we've made outstanding appointments to oversee the transition to the Bundesliga team."

The task for the coming days will be to finalise the squad for the new season and to clear up any uncertainties regarding the start of training. The new Dortmund coach is full of excitement and can hardly wait to get stuck into the job. "I'm very happy to become a coach at a big club like Borussia Dortmund. It's an exciting challenge to work with many talented players and I hope that we'll be very successful working together."

He will work alongside the 34-year-old Pascal Bieler. Bieler, who has an A Licence, will succeed the departing David Solga in the role of assistant coach. Bieler hung up his boots as a player in 2016 and initially joined Wuppertaler SV as the assistant coach within the U19 set-up. The Berlin native has occupied various positions at WSV during his time at the club – the most recent of which was the role of head coach to the Regionalliga team.