Grant McCann has revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer last December, disclosing the news during a conversation about the pressures of football management with BBC Radio Sheffield.

The Doncaster Rovers head coach, 46, said he was told he had malignant melanoma, the more aggressive form of skin cancer, which can spread to other organs if left untreated. McCann said a doctor visited him at the training ground to deliver the diagnosis and that at his lowest point he feared he might have only "five to six weeks to live".

"If we want to talk about pressure, then the pressure that came on me Christmas time last year when the doctor came to see me at the training ground to tell me I had a malignant melanoma, that's pressure," McCann said. "Fortunately I am ok now but I could have had five to six weeks to live."

The Northern Irishman, who is in his second spell at the Keepmoat Stadium after guiding Rovers to promotion from League Two in 2024-25, was characteristically direct when putting football's day-to-day stress into context. "Pressure for me is making sure I'm ok and my family is alright," he added. "When I come in here I want to make sure I do it with a smile on my face."

A slow start to the League One season

McCann's disclosure came against the backdrop of a difficult opening to the third-tier campaign. Doncaster have won none of their first five League One matches, drawing three and losing two. Their only victory in eight competitive games this season arrived on penalties against Stockport County in the first round of the Carabao Cup, a competition that falls outside this site's usual beat but worth noting for the context it provides.

Those results will inevitably generate scrutiny, though McCann appeared keen to frame the season in broader terms. He pointed to the stability at the club as a reason for optimism, saying the owners "see they have a staff and a bunch of players who will give everything for Doncaster Rovers".

McCann on Duff sacking

The manager also weighed in on the dismissal of Michael Duff at Wycombe Wanderers, who became the first EFL manager to lose his job this season. McCann and Duff are former teammates, having played together at Cheltenham Town and for Northern Ireland, and the Doncaster boss made little effort to hide his frustration at how the situation unfolded.

"The transfer window has just finished and he's just signed one of the best strikers in League One in Jayden Wareham and he gets the chance to work with him for two days and then loses his job," McCann said. "I just don't get the industry sometimes."

It is the kind of observation that managers rarely make publicly about a colleague's fate, and it speaks to how McCann tends to engage with questions: without much of the usual managerial caution. Whether that frankness extends to discussing his own team's early-season form at length remains to be seen.

What happens next for Doncaster

Rovers travel to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, looking for a first League One win of the season. With three draws and two defeats from five games, the gap between Doncaster and the upper reaches of the third tier is already something McCann will need to address, regardless of the very personal context in which this week's media round took place.

McCann previously managed Peterborough United and Hull City before returning to Doncaster. He will be hoping the health news he shared this week is the last major off-field distraction of a season that needs to find its footing quickly.

Frequently asked

What type of skin cancer did Grant McCann have?
McCann was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a more aggressive form of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body. He received the diagnosis in December last year and has said he is now ok.
How have Doncaster Rovers started the League One season?
Doncaster have drawn three and lost two of their opening five League One matches, leaving them without a win in the third tier so far this campaign.
Who is Grant McCann and how long has he been Doncaster manager?
Grant McCann is a 46-year-old Northern Irish manager in his second spell in charge of Doncaster Rovers. He led the club to promotion from League Two in the 2024-25 season and has also managed Peterborough United and Hull City.