Fulham have appointed Felix Magath as their third manager of the season after sacking Rene Meulensteen just two months into his Craven Cottage reign.

Meulensteen was appointed in early December and replaced Martin Jol as boss after a disappointing start to the Premier League campaign.

But the former Manchester United coach could only deliver four wins as top dog and the Whites were dumped out of the FA Cup by League One strugglers Sheffield United.

"They have hit the panic button on emotion and fear - but hey ho, that's football," Meulensteen told BBC Sport.

“I knew the owners were freaking out a little bit that there was the possibility of the club going down.

Norwich City v Fulham - Barclays Premier League
Axed: Rene Meulensteen has been sacked as Fulham manager

"The way forward that we have discussed with the club was about longevity and in this case it is clearly an act of fear.

"I have not had a lot of time and people who came to the Manchester United and Liverpool games could see what I was trying to put in place.

"I couldn't care less what they put in the statement, to be honest."

Magath has been out of work since leaving Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg in 2012. He twice won the German title with Bayern, completing a hat-trick of titles with Wolfsburg in 2009.

The 60-year-old has signed signed an 18-month contract at Fulham, who are bottom of the Premier League.

Fulham chairman Shahid Khan said: "With 12 matches remaining, we certainly can no longer post empty results. Action was required.

Taking charge: Felix Magath is the new manager of Fulham

"Felix is an accomplished manager with multiple honours in the Bundesliga and a hunger to replicate his success with Fulham in the Premier League.

"I'm especially impressed with the reputation Felix has for coming into clubs at difficult times, often late in the season, and lifting them to their potential and beyond.

"Felix knows that is precisely the task awaiting him at Fulham, and he made it abundantly clear that he wants and is ready for the opportunity.

"Our club has shown promise in recent matches, but the fact is we have not won a league match since 1 January. Given our form, we can no longer merely hope that our fortunes will finally turn."

Fulham will release a statement regarding Meulensteen’s backroom staff in the near future.