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Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson says he wants to live ‘a normal life’ after being diagnosed with terminal cancer as he today revealed the ‘dream’ he wants to experience in his final days. 

The 75-year-old Swede has been given ‘at best a year to live’ by doctors who told him he has pancreatic cancer after he went for tests the day after collapsing and fainting following a 5km.

He has been secretly battling the inoperable cancer for a year having only told close family and friends and it has since spread, with the Swede on medication to slow down its progression. 

Today in an emotional tear-jerking interview, he told Good Morning Britain hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid how he wished to live his remaining days and vowed to ‘fight on’. 

Speaking from his home in Bjorkefors, in Sweden, the former Leicester City and Manchester City manager said he refuses to sit at home crying all day and worrying about himself. 

Sven-Goran Erikkson gave a tear-jerking interview on Good Morning Britain in which he said he refuses to give up  after his 'shock' terminal cancer diagnosis

Sven-Goran Erikkson gave a tear-jerking interview on Good Morning Britain in which he said he refuses to give up  after his ‘shock’ terminal cancer diagnosis 

Sven said: ‘After a while you have to work with it and don’t think about it 24 hours a day. Don’t sit at home and do nothing. Live your life as normal as possible as long as you can, that’s what I’m doing really.

‘I refuse to give up. I want to live every day a normal day.’

That includes having coffee with his friends and still working out at the gym, and although he isn’t travelling as much due to his illness he plans to make the journey to England in March to watch Gareth Southgate’s team take on Brazil in a friendly.  

He added: ‘I want to live normally and the aim for the rest of my life is to wake up in the morning and feel okay and most of the morning I feel okay. It’s not good but it’s good as it can be.’ 

Sven has managed some of the biggest clubs in world football during an illustrious 40-year career, including a 13 year spell in Italy in which he led Lazio to their second and most recent league title win in 2000. 

His five-years in charge of England’s ‘golden generation’ of footballers including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, and Frank Lampard was what he described as his ‘biggest job’.

Sven has been battling the illness secretly for a year having only told close family and friends, but he made the shock announcement in a Swedish radio station interview last week

Sven revealed in a Sky News interview he would have loved to manage his boyhood club Liverpool. And he told GMB it would be his dream to take the helm during the LFC Legends game against Ajax in March

Sven revealed in a Sky News interview he would have loved to manage his boyhood club Liverpool. And he told GMB it would be his dream to take the helm during the LFC Legends game against Ajax in March  

Sven and Beckham in 2006: Sven spoke of his pride of managing England which he described as the biggest job in football

Sven and Beckham in 2006: Sven spoke of his pride of managing England which he described as the biggest job in football 

Roberto Mancini played under Sven in his successful Lazio side between 1997 and 2001 and was another person who reached out to him

Roberto Mancini played under Sven in his successful Lazio side between 1997 and 2001 and was another person who reached out to him

Although he isn't travelling as much due to his illness, Sven plans to to make the journey to England in March to watch Gareth Southgate's team take on Brazil in a friendly

Although he isn’t travelling as much due to his illness, Sven plans to to make the journey to England in March to watch Gareth Southgate’s team take on Brazil in a friendly

Sven consoles David Beckham after England crash out of the 2006 World Cup - the former Three Lions captain has been one of the many people to call the 75-year-old

Sven consoles David Beckham after England crash out of the 2006 World Cup – the former Three Lions captain has been one of the many people to call the 75-year-old   

Having revealed last week he would have loved to have managed Liverpool, fans have been calling for the club to grant his dying wish by leading the LFC Legends side in a charity match against Ajax in March. 

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler is another backing Sven to be in the dugout  and said on X: ‘call’s gone in mate.’  

Sven told GMB this morning it would be his dream to take one game at the helm of his boyhood club and said he had been invited to watch the game.

Asked if he would accept the offer to manage the legends side he said: ‘I would accept of course, that has always been my dream. But like it is a dream. 

‘I’m not complaining I had a lot of good football teams, national teams and clubs. I’m happy anyhow.’ 

Beckham and Roberto Mancini have been among the well-wishers who have called Sven since he revealed his ‘shock’ diagnosis. 

Since then, his telephone has been ringing constantly with messages from all over the world including England, Italy, Portugal, and even China where he coached for four years.

Speaking to MailOnline in the living room of his beautiful home overlooking a frozen Lake Fryken in Sunne after inviting us in, he described the last few days.

Sven said: ‘It’s been really crazy. The telephone phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the radio interview was broadcast, I’m surprised by all this support, I didn’t expect it all. I never imagined this sort of reaction.

‘To be honest the broadcast shouldn’t have gone out until Sunday but it did and that’s OK there is nothing I can do but I have had so many calls, all the time, it’s nice.

‘I’ve spoken with David Beckham, I won’t say what he said but it was very good of him to call. We speak every now and then, every few months and I also heard from (ex Man City boss) Roberto Mancini.

‘I’ve heard from people who were at the Football Association when I was there, Wayne Rooney’s agent sent me a message and then there were surprise calls from people I hadn’t heard from in years but it’s like that.’

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This post first appeared on Daily mail