English second-tier club Fulham on Wednesday named caretaker boss Kit Symons as their new manager on a permanent basis.

The 43-year-old former Wales defender has been rewarded for overseeing an improvement in form by the Cottagers since taking over on an interim basis after Felix Magath was sacked last month.

Symons, who played for the west London club between 1998 and 2001, has been given a contract through to the end of next season after doing enough to impress a five-man committee who were charged with the task of finding a new boss.

"Kit has thoroughly earned the opportunity to take Fulham from here as our First Team Manager. We've been a different football club, on and off the pitch, since Kit stepped in as our Caretaker Manager in September," said chairman Shahid Khan in a statement on the club's official website.

Symons took over from Magath when the Cottagers had just one point from their opening eight games in the second-tier Championship following relegation last season but has turned the tide with five wins and a draw in his temporary stint.