Soccer injury? All you need is cheese

When it comes to curing soccer injuries all you need is cheese, according to coach Felix Magath.

The former Fulham manager confirmed reports he suggested defender Brede Hangeland wrap cheese around his injured knee to help it heal.

The method might be unconventional but Magath -- who was axed by the London club earlier this month -- doesn't know why it's caused such a big stink.

"I mentioned that he could try using an old technique of wrapping the knee with Quark, which is used to decrease inflammation,"

The 61-year-old German added claims by the former Fulham captain Hangeland that he ignored conventional medical advice in favor of the cheese cure were incorrect.

"I would never tell a doctor how he should manage the injury to a player," he continued. "It seems this story has been blown completely out of context."

Magath, who guided Bayern Munich and unfancied Wolfsburg to the German Bundesliga title, has a reputation for his unconventional management style.

Big cheese

But he is not the first big cheese in sport to use the savory dairy staple to help injuries.

American ski star Lindsey Vonn revealed she had been wrapping her injured shin in an Austrian cheese to reduce inflammation in the buildup to the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Vonn told Sports Illustrated about her physical therapist's unusual remedy: "He's been wrapping cheese on it, and I know that sounds funny, but it seems to work."

The cheese hit the spot for Vonn as she went on to recover from injury and win the Olympic downhill title in a matter of weeks.

Maybe Hangeland, who has since left Fulham for Crystal Palace, should have given cheese a chance.