Claudio Ranieri’s Fulham side face a mammoth task in trying to avoid relegation this season although he insists he has been impressed by the spirit in the camp.

Fulham, who are priced at 1.06 to be relegated, spent heavily last summer to enhance their squad for the rigours of Premier League football, but it may well have been a case of too much, too soon.

No fewer than 15 players came through the door at Craven Cottage last summer and ex-boss Slavisa Jokanovic struggled to settle on his best XI.

With good performances hard to come by and the west London outfit residing in the bottom three, Jokanovic was replaced by Ranieri in November.

The Italian has struggled to steer them in a more positive direction and they currently sit eight points adrift of safety in 19th place as they gear up for Friday’s trip to West Ham.

Despite their problems, Ranieri has been pleasantly surprised by the positive attitude on the training ground.

Ranieri said: “Every time in the training session there is a very good atmosphere. They have given me a lot of confidence because you see the players are alive. They want to do something more every match.

“I am confident with the support of our fans, we can (achieve) very good things. The destiny is there and my players (need) to make their destiny. We know it’s a difficult moment for us but we must be positive.”