NETHERLANDS are battling to secure their first ever World Cup in Qatar – but boss Louis Van Gaal has been battling his own problems off the field.
However Dutch defender Daley Blind admitted that the entire squad are eager to make him proud courtesy of what Van Gaal is going through.
And Holland can continue to make Louis Van Gaal proud should they beat Argentina in their upcoming mouth-watering quarter-final contest.
Does Louis van Gaal still have cancer?
Louis Van Gaal revealed in April that he had received 25 radiation treatments for an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
But the Netherlands manager kept the diagnosis from his players during their World Cup qualifying campaign.
And the squad was unaware that their boss had been wearing a catheter beneath his attire while orchestrating training sessions.
However, Van Gaal, 71, said that the treatment had “done its job” and he has is making a recovery.
What did Daley Blind say?
Daley Blind’s father Danny is Van Gaal’s assistant at the World Cup Daley admitted that the entire squad have so much respect for what Van Gaal went through.
The former Manchester United star said: “He did everything he could to keep it from us. He was even going to the hospital during the night so as not to show the team what he was going through.
“We have so much respect for how he is coping with this disease at the moment.
“He always knows how to inspire players. It’s in the back of our heads but we don’t need any extra motivation.
“We want to win every game, we want to play for our coach and we want to go as far as we can.”
When is Netherlands vs Argentina?
- Netherland’s mouth-watering fixture against Argentina will take place on Friday, December 9.
- The World Cup quarter-final clash is scheduled to get underway at 7pm UK time.
- Lusali Stadium is the allocated arena for this eye-catching contest and it can host a staggering 88, 966 supporters.
- Argentine sent Holland crashing out of the semi-final stage on penalties in 2014.
