Netherlands coach and former Man United boss Louis van Gaal has revealed that he’s battling a ‘pretty aggressive form’ of prostate cancer.

The 70-year-old head coach confirmed the diagnosis on Dutch television show Humberto to promote a new film about his life, and admitted that he had kept the news from his players.

“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,” he said.

“I think you don’t tell people you work with like that because it might influence their choices, their decisiveness. So I thought they shouldn’t know.”

The gaffer added: “You don’t die from prostate cancer, at least not in 90 per cent of the cases. It is usually other underlying diseases that kill you.

“But I had a pretty aggressive form, got irradiated 25 times. Then you have a lot of management to do in order to go through life

“I did have preferential treatment in the hospital. I was allowed in through the back door when I went to an appointment and was immediately pushed into another room.

“I have been treated wonderfully. You will of course tell your friends and relatives about it. The fact that nothing has come out yet also says something about my environment. That’s great.”

Meanwhile, Van Gaal is due to be in charge of the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar in November, with his side in Group A along with Senegal, Ecuador and the hosts.- Soccer24 Zimbabwe