Felix Magath, who was the Fulham manager until just three months ago, was scathing about his former employers and English football in general during a recent interview.

"The English find it hard to train. What sort of professional sportsmen can't train twice a day? For me it's a complete joke", the 61-year-old told sports website spox.com.

The German took over the reins at Fulham in February, but his tenure was short-lived as he was relieved of his duties in September.

When quizzed about his time in West London, he revealed: "Although it's true that the atmosphere at the club was really pleasant and a dream, this dream came at the expense of success".

Magath did reserve some kind words for the enthusiastic nature of English football supporters, but was swift to laud his own country even more: "Unlike Germany, who've enjoyed success for 50 years, the English haven't had any success in 50 years".

"Given the German mentality, we're extremely well-suited to team sports such as football. On the other hand the Fulham players had disciplinary problems and were very sensitive", he added.