Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was surprised to hear Kasper Schmeichel declare on air that his career could be over.
O’Neill defends Schmeichel’s claim he was playing through injury
O’Neill said last Friday that the goalkeeper was close to returning to fitness, but Schmeichel announced live on Wednesday during CBS’ Champions League broadcast that he would require surgery on both shoulders and up to a year of rehabilitation.
O’Neill was aware during his first stint in charge that Schmeichel was still suffering from a shoulder injury he sustained while playing for Denmark 12 months earlier.
But the 74-year-old said: “I have to admit I was surprised by the severity of my symptoms. I know I was on injections to play some games and it wasn’t a great treatment, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. So I was disappointed to hear the news.”
“I didn’t think Kasper would announce it. Tim (Williamson), our physiotherapist, had noticed that the scan results showed much worse than we thought.
“But I wasn’t expecting to hear it. I didn’t hear it directly, I heard it from people. Obviously, I would have been better off hearing it myself.”
O’Neill added: “It happened pretty quickly. Believe it or not, sometimes I get out of touch.”
Schmeichel, who took part in Friday’s training but did not take full part, has come under criticism for some of his performances since his initial injury, particularly when he scored an own goal in Celtic’s Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen.
Fans continued to wonder if a shoulder problem was holding him back.
“We’ve all been playing through injuries,” said former Nottingham Forest midfielder O’Neill. “I was guilty of that myself over a hundred years ago, when I was trying to overcome injury to play in the European Cup final.
“I thought he was a really good player in his first period here. He made some big saves in the game.
“I knew he had an issue with his shoulder that he had had for quite some time, but I didn’t think it was as serious as it turned out to be.
“He seemed to have gotten over the fight. You don’t want to whip someone to death, but he was fine and I didn’t think it was a big problem at the time.”
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The chief referee confirmed that consultations would take place.
O’Neill said Schmeichel had a bad reaction to the injection after missing the 4-1 loss to Stuttgart and Celtic’s 2-2 draw with Rangers. This match came 10 days after the Danish player conceded two very sweet goals.
Asked whether Schmeichel playing through injury hurt Celtic, O’Neill said: “I think you’re really referring to the game against Stuttgart probably more than any other game. In terms of results, the result was good. Having him in the team and obviously having Villami Sinisalo in the team.”
“Kasper played after Stuttgart. He played against Hibs and made a big save for us. We didn’t win the game, but he made a big save to stop Hibs from scoring before they could take the lead.”
Meanwhile, Callum McGregor is expected to be fit for Celtic’s trip to play Dundee United on Sunday after sustaining a calf injury.
See what Jose Mourinho had to say about the Celtic manager.
Benjamin Nygren reveals his ‘dream’ of playing at a higher level
The Hoops face an interesting summer, needing reinforcements not only in goal but also across the defense and an injection of creativity in midfield.
They could also lose some key players, with Benjamin Nygren admitting to Swedish media this week that it is his “dream” to play in a bigger league.
Nygren told Sports Witness: “It’s really fun and it’s a sign that I’ve done something good. I’m always humble, I’m always trying to get better every day and I’m really enjoying Celtic.”
“But like any footballer, I also have dreams of reaching as far as possible with my football and playing in the biggest league.”
Losing the Swede just 12 months after joining for around £1.7m will be a huge blow, with O’Neill heaping praise on the player who has scored or assisted in five of Celtic’s last eight games, and Sebastian Tunekuti hailing his recent form as “absolutely fantastic”.
