Netherlands coach Van Gaal says ready to lead his country

Coach Louis van Gaal of the Netherlands declared Monday that he was fit enough to lead his country to the World Cup finals, claiming that his prostate cancer treatment had gone well.

Van Gaal, 70, announced ten days ago that he had been getting treatment since being diagnosed with cancer in 2020, but that he still intends to take his squad to the World Cup in Qatar in seven months.

“I had 25 sessions of chemotherapy. Then I had to wait five or six months to see if that had worked. It has,” he told the ANP press agency.

The former coach of Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United had surgery as well.

The straight-talking Van Gaal was the manager of the Oranje from 2000 to 2002, when they finished third in the World Cup in Brazil.

After Frank de Boer’s resignation following the country’s last-16 exit from Euro 2020, he returned to the Dutch national squad.

In Friday’s draw, the Netherlands were placed in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and Senegal.