Former Fulham coach Felix Magath has taken to Facebook to reject claims that he told club doctors to treat an injured player with cheese.

Magath, who was sacked last week in the wake of the club’s terrible start following relegation from the English Premier League last season, admitted suggesting to former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland that he could try an old remedy using quark – a form of curd cheese common in German-speaking countries.

But he said he had never told Fulham club doctors how to treat a player and never sent out for cheese, as had been widely reported in the British press.

Magath, who won Bundesliga titles both as a player and as a coach, is renowned for his gruelling training regime.

“I wanted to take the time to write to you regarding recent reports and statements made by a former Fulham player, Brede Hangeland,” he said on his Facebook page.

“His portrayal of what was actually said is so far from the truth that it becomes laughable. He had an injury to the knee (inflam-mation)and I mentioned that he could try using an old technique of wrapping the knee with quark, which is used to decrease the inflammation.”

He added: “I would never tell a doctor how he should manage the injury to a player but it seems that this story has been wrongly told and blown completely out of context.”

“It seems to me that often players who are not performing on the pitch and are not in the spotlight will make such ridiculous accusations.

“A world-class player in the mould of Michael Ballack or Raul, would never ever make such statements. Class speaks for itself,” the former Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Schalke coach added.

Magath took over at Fulham midway through last season but could not save them from the drop after 13 seasons in the top flight.