Former Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal states he is receiving treatment for prostate cancer.
He is currently in-charge of the Netherlands national team, made the statement on Dutch TV programme Humberto on Sunday.
Van Gaal, stated he had kept the news from his team during the recent international break.
“I didn’t want to tell it to my players because it could have influenced their performances,” he appended.
He is in his third spell as Netherlands head coach, having guided them to third place at the 2014 World Cup and now to the 2022 finals in Qatar.
He further said: “In each period during my time as manager of the national team I had to leave in the night to go to the hospital without the players finding it out until now. While thinking I was healthy, but… I am not.”
In a two-year tenure at Manchester United, Van Gaal commanded them to FA Cup victory in 2016 prior he was displaced by Jose Mourinho.
Voicing in an interview to popularize a new film about his life, Van Gaal said: “I’ve been through a lot with illnesses, including with my own wife. So that’s just part of life.”
“I as a human being have probably become richer because of all those experiences.”
Van Gaal is due to be in-charge of the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar in November, with his squad in Group A apace with Senegal, Ecuador and the hosts.
Previous month he called the decision to hold the tourney in the Gulf country ‘ridiculous’ and stated world football governing body FIFA had been only encouraged by ‘money and commercial interests.’
