Steffan Effenberg's time in charge of Paderborn has come to an abrupt end after the club confirmed they had dismissed the former Bayern Munich midfielder.

The Bundesliga 2 side have struggled this season following their relegation from the top flight and face a battle in the final months of the campaign to remain in the second tier.

Effenberg was handed his first coaching role at the club in October – signing a two-year deal – but his tenure is over after just five months

He started promisingly with successive wins over Eintracht Braunschweig and Union Berlin, but Effenberg has not tasted victory since – a run of 13 games in all competitions.

Two points from five games since the mid-season break has left them in the bottom two with 10 games to play, forcing the club to take a new direction.

"The SCP [Paderborn] has finished working with head coach Stefan Effenberg," read a short statement on the club's official website.

"In a meeting with the coach, president Wilfried Zinke communicated the decision."