Rory O'Callaghan
Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA.
@rory_ocallaghan
Former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has revealed he underwent urgent cancer surgery just weeks after leaving the club in 2018.
He made 167 appearances for the Reds, scoring 14 times, before eventually leaving on a free transfer to Juventus after turning down the offer of a new contract at Anfield.
Can would spend just two seasons with the Italian club before permanently moving to Borussia Dortmund, after spending six months on loan at the German club during the 2019-20 campaign.
Early on in his time at Juventus, Can spent six weeks on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to treat a nodule in his thyroid.
He has now revealed that he needed to undergo the surgery after cancer was discovered.
"I had thyroid cancer and I urgently needed an operation," he told DAZN, as reported by GOAL.
"This has changed a lot in my life. You can have a lot of money, you can have everything, but health is the most important thing."
He added: "I am extremely grateful to the doctors. A couple of months after the medical visits with Juve they called me.
"I didn't even know what was going on, I had never heard of a thyroid and I didn’t know that there could be a tumour.
"The move to Turin is worth it for that alone."
Can also urged those with similar concerns to go for check-ups.
"It's part of life, I advise everyone to get checked," he added.
"It doesn't matter how healthy we think we are; if we discover these things in time, we can take action."
Since leaving Juventus for Dortmund, Can has made 102 appearances for the Bundesliga club, scoring nine times.
He has played 19 times this season in all competitions, without scoring.
Topics: Emre Can, Football, Liverpool, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Premier League