The Lincoln City manager Michael Appleton has revealed he has been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The 45-year-old, who has had managerial spells at West Brom, Portsmouth, Blackpool, Blackburn and Leicester City, is to undergo surgery and will take a leave of absence.
In an open letter to Lincoln supporters, Appleton said: “Although things are going well on and off the pitch at the club, I do have some news to share with you which means you’ll see and hear a bit less from me over the next couple of weeks.
“A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and will have the tumour removed this week. There are some quite scary words in that sentence, but this is quite a routine operation and the indications are that I should be back up and on my feet in no time.
“I do need to take a bit of a break, though, and after the surgery will be taking a couple of weeks to recover. This means I won’t be in the dugout for some of our pre-season games, but will be liaising closely with the coaching team as we continue preparations for the campaign.
“I’m not the sort of person who goes into much detail about these things, but I wanted to make sure you were all aware so you knew why I have to sit out a few games. There’s loads of advice out there about the early signs of cancer and what to look out for – if you have a lump or any other change please do get it checked out by a GP.”