Doncaster Rovers manager Grant McCann reveals he was diagnosed with skin cancer last year
Grant McCann was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer last year but has since made a full recovery
Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann has announced that he was diagnosed with cancer last year.
The 46-year-old, who has since made a full recovery, revealed that he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer last winter, just months after leading the team to the League Two title.
McCann opened up about a difficult period in his life. He said: “There's lots of pressure in football. Lots of pressure from outside and outside sort of noises. But we know what we have in the building, you know.
“If I want to talk about pressure, I think the pressure that came on me at Christmas time last year when the doctor came to see me at the training ground to tell me I had an malignant melanoma, which is skin cancer. That's pressure.
“So fortunately, I'm OK now, but possibly could have had five to six weeks to live.These are things that I would probably talk to you about pressure. Every day we come into the football club to try and improve this football club. Every day we come in to try and improve the players.
“Every day we want to try and move this club closer to the top six. And we haven't started the season well. In terms of results.But we know that nothing, like I said in my tweet, nothing has changed in previous years. And we've galvanised everybody and moved up this table. And I've got firm belief that we'll do it again.”
McCann’s comments come amid a challenging start for Rovers in the league. After the Plymouth loss, McCann shared a rallying message to fans on X informing them that this ‘group will respond.’
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the AFC Wimbledon match, he added: “Last year we won five of the first seven and everybody thought we were going to win the league. So football works in mysterious ways. And pressure for me is really making sure I'm OK, my family's all right.
“When I come in here, I want to come in with a smile on my face. And I do it nearly every single day. I want the players to improve.I want this football club to grow. I want this football club to get back to the level I know it can do. If it's this year, then great.
“If it happens to be next year, then we'll wait for that and we'll do it then. But we're striving and pushing every single day. I don't want anybody outside to think we're not. I make mistakes, the players make mistakes, but we don't do it out of, any other than trying our best. So that's what we are.”