Virgil van Dijk has shown his support for Lous van Gaal after the Netherlands boss revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The former Manchester United boss was speaking on Dutch TV when he made the announcement on Sunday. Van Gaal was appearing on the show to promote his new documentary ‘LOUIS’ which addresses his cancer diagnosis.
However, the news came as a shock to Van Dijk with his manager choosing not to tell the Netherlands squad during the recent international break. And the Liverpool defender has said the players will do whatever they can to support the 70-year-old.
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"I was also in shock last night when I heard his interview because obviously he’s getting his film out next week, so I was just wondering how he would promote it and speak about his life,” Van Dijk said in a Liverpool press conference on Monday. “Obviously that was a big shock and I messaged him after the interview and it definitely says a lot about him [that he didn’t tell the Netherlands squad].
“I said to him that he’s probably not the type of guy that needs a lot of sympathy. That’s how he is.
“But I told him that we are definitely going to be there for him as a group, whenever he needs it. Hopefully we can also make it for him, a World Cup to never forget.”
Van Dijk is captain of the Netherlands side that has qualified for this year’s World Cup, where he will hope to make his first appearance at a major tournament. For Van Gaal, he is currently in his third stint as national team manager, having led his country to a 3rd place finish at the 2014 World Cup, and spoke openly about how he had kept his diagnosis a secret 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 told Dutch channel RTL .
"I didn't want to tell it to my players because it could have influenced their performances. I have a lot of discipline and willpower.
"I can do the job because I like it. I like to work with this squad. This is a present for me at a late age, this is how I see it."
