Ryan Edwards: Plymouth Argyle defender diagnosed with testicular cancer

Ryan Edwards has scored four goals for Plymouth since signing for Argyle in June

Plymouth Argyle's Ryan Edwards has been diagnosed with testicular cancer.

"The 24-year-old defender is to undergo immediate surgery," the League One club said in a statement.

"Ryan will obviously miss a period of football because of surgery, but his physical health and mental well-being are our only priority."

Edwards has made 30 appearances for the League One side and scored his fourth goal of the season in their 1-1 draw at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.

"The diagnosis was made when Ryan sought medical advice after experiencing symptoms which he thought prudent to have checked out." the club added.

Edwards began his career as a trainee at Blackburn and had loan spells at Rochdale and Chesterfield before moving on to Morecambe in 2014.

The 6ft 3ins centre-back played more than 100 games for the Shrimps before joining Argyle on a free transfer in June 2017.

A number of footballers and other sportsmen have suffered from testicular cancer, which affects more than 2,000 men each year, according to the NHS website.

London Irish rugby player Darren Dawidiuk, 30, is currently receiving treatment, while Worcestershire cricketer Tom Fell, 24, was given the all-clear in 2016 after undergoing chemotherapy.