THE former football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has shared that he has been diagnosed with cancer and has the "best case a year" to live.

Eriksson, 75, managed the England national team between 2001 and 2006 leading them to the quarter finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and 2004 Euros.

It was also notable that he was the first coach from outside of England to manage the national team.

He had a 42-year career in management overseeing the likes of Benfica, Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio, Manchester City, Leicester City and the national sides of Mexico and the Philippines.

Eriksson stood down from his most recent role as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad 11 months ago because of health issues, BBC Sport reports.

'I'm going to resist for as long as I can'

Speaking to Swedish Radio P1, Eriksson stated he was going to resist the cancer "for as long as I can".

He added: "I have an illness that's serious. Best case a year, I have worst case a lot less. It's impossible to say exactly, so it's better to not think about it."

The discovery of the cancer came when he "collapsed and fainted" as he was doing a 5km run, as reported by Sky News.

It "just came from nothing", he added, and that "makes you shocked".

"I'm not in any major pain. But I've been diagnosed with a disease that you can slow down but you cannot operate. So it is what it is."

Eriksson also shared he was trying to stay positive and "make something good" from his cancer diagnosis.

"You try to trick the brain, it's too easy to succumb and become negative and get stuck at home. Better to try and see positives and not give in during hard times," he added.