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Former Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock has revealed his very special relationship with Sol Bamba, as he sent a message to the defender as he begins his battle with cancer.
Cardiff announced on Monday the Ivorian centre-back has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy.
Old boss Warnock brought Bamba to the Bluebirds in October 2016, having tried to sign him at previous clubs, and the pair formed a strong bond during his spell in charge in the Welsh capital.
It’s a relationship that is still going strong, with Warnock describing the 35-year-old – who he has previously hailed as ‘a better defender than Virgil van Dijk’ – as ‘part of the family’.
The veteran coach has already been in touch with the defender and revealed Bamba is ‘coping well in the circumstances’, and even shared a joke or two with him over the phone on Monday.
And Warnock joined the talkSPORT Breakfast on Tuesday to publicly send his well wishes to the star.
“I send my best wishes to Sol, absolutely,” said the current Middlesbrough manager.
“I spoke to Sol, he’s always part of the family, we’ve been through that much together. He’s done so well for me, and not just as a player but as a person, he’s a super person.
“As a manager you have relationships like that, and as I’m talking to you now I’ve got goose pimples just thinking about him, thinking about me and him having a fight on the touchline at Ipswich when I was trying to stop him getting sent off!
“But believe you me, there were more good times than bad times and we’ve had some really good times together.
“It just shows you how we’ve got to grasp at every aspect [of life] while we’re here, because it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re not immune to anything.
“He’s coping very well in the circumstances and he’s inundated with messages as you can imagine.
“I made him laugh yesterday. My wife Sharon has been through chemotherapy as well, so I told him: ‘Listen, there is some good news Sol. Sharon has got three or four wigs from when she went through chemo, and she’s prepared to let you borrow them!’
“But if anyone is going to overcome this, it’s Sol. he’s such a fighter when the times are tough.
“He’s not daft, he knows there are people worse off in the world now and he’s going to fight it like he has done anything put before him.
“If anyone can come through it, it would be Sol with the determination that he’s got. He’s got that in abundance.
“We all wish him well.”
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