Tigana’s deal expires on June 30 – but he is likely to be told who his successor will be before the last game of the campaign at Charlton on May 11.

Fulham chief executive Bruce Langham, who revealed he had been inundated with job applications, said: “Ideally, we would like our new manager confirmed by the end of the season.”

The Londoners have described the boss they are searching for as “the next David Moyes“, the man who quit First Division Preston to mastermind the Everton revival.

The favourites for the Fulham post include the Division One quartet of Reading manager Alan Pardew, Leicester’s ex-Fulham boss Micky Adams, Nottingham Forest chief Paul Hart and Derby’s caretaker coach George Burley.

And Langham today hinted the club’s new manager could come from outside the Premiership.

“Experience of being in charge at the top level in this country or abroad is also important – but it’s possible someone may have other qualities which attract us enough to make that less critical,” he said.

“Recognition of the foundations already built here will also be important to us.

“We’re looking for someone willing to work with and enhance what we have rather than change everything.

“We are also looking for someone who can inject passion into the team and who is committed to a style of football similar to the way we play.”

Langham, who heads the club’s six-man board of directors formulating a shortlist from which Al Fayed will pluck his preferred candidate, confirmed the new man at the helm will not have a transfer budget comparable to the blank chequebook handed to Tigana.

“One of the criteria is for the successful candidate to have the ability to work with the squad we have,” Langham told the London Evening Standard.

“We’ve had lots of names suggested to us, either directly or indirectly, and have been impressed with some of the people who have been put forward.”