Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jake Polden

Holland 'confirm next boss' as Louis van Gaal to step aside following cancer diagnosis

Holland are reportedly set to name Ronald Koeman as Louis van Gaal's successor following the World Cup.

Van Gaal recently announced he is suffering from an aggressive form of prostate cancer and has already undergone 25 treatments in the hope of beating the illness. But he will lead the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar before standing down.

According to De Telegraaf, Koeman will then officially take charge of the Netherlands from January 1.

Van Gaal announced on Dutch programme Humberto while promoting his new film, LOUIS, that he is ill. He said: "They don't know. They see a blush on my cheeks and think: what a healthy fellow he is. That is of course not the case.

'I think you don't tell people you work with like that because it might influence their choices, and their decisiveness, so I thought they shouldn't know. You don't die from prostate cancer, at least not in ninety 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.

Holland are reportedly set to name Ronald Koeman as Louis van Gaal's successor after the World Cup (PABLO GARICA/RFEF/HO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

"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."

Koeman has previously managed Holland, from 2018 to 2020, but he stepped down to take the reins at Barcelona.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.