Former West Brom player Michael Appleton diagnosed with testicular cancer

The former Albion player, coach and caretaker boss will undergo surgery this week.

Now the manager of League One side Lincoln, Appleton was heavily linked with the head coach role at The Hawthorns before the appointment of Valerien Ismael.

He will now take a couple of weeks off to recover from the surgery – meaning he won't be in the dugout for some of Lincoln's pre-season friendlies.

In an open letter to Imp's fans, 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.

“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.

“I will remain in close contact with (chief executive) Liam Scully and (director of football) Jez George, and I’m looking forward to a bit of remote working to see what the fuss is all about!

"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.”