Lincoln City manager Michael Appleton taking break after cancer operation
The 45 year old has undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumour
Last updated 14th Jul 2021
Lincoln City says its supporting manager Michael Appleton, as he takes a break from his duties to recover from surgery.
The 45 year old will be off four around 10 days following a procedure to remove a cancerous tumour.
In an open letter to fan, Appleton wrote:
"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.
"Our transfer plans are all on track and won’t be affected - modern technology means there won’t be any escape from me for my colleagues and I’ll be able to watch videos from the games."
The Imps have a packed pre-season, with a trip to neighbours Boston United later this week, before heading to Premier League side Norwich City next week.
Appleton will miss several of those games, but should be back on the touchline for Lincoln's first fixture of the new League One season at Gillingham on August 7th.
Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Preston North End are amongst the clubs to send messages of support to the Imps boss.
Testicular cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer, accounting for just 1% of all cancers that occur in men.
Around 2,300 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year in the UK.