Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has admitted a serious shoulder injury could end his career.
Schmeichel’s Celtic career likely to be over
The veteran goalkeeper injured his left shoulder while playing for Denmark last year and has been playing through pain since aggravating it in a match against Stuttgart last month.
He has missed the last five games for Martin O’Neill’s side and was given a “catastrophic” diagnosis after seeing a specialist on Monday.
“I’m going to need two surgeries now to fix my shoulder,” Schmeichel told the CBS Sports Golazo Network.
“It’s a bit of a body blow. I tore my bicep, tore my rotator cuff, dislocated my shoulder, tore my labrum. It’s all over. It’s going to be 10 to 12 months of rehab.
“I really don’t know how to react to this. I could have played in the last football game of my life. I’ve been a football player since the day I was born. That kind of thought is devastating. It’s very difficult to organize my thoughts at the moment.”
The 39-year-old follows in the footsteps of his father Peter, who was an integral part of Manchester United’s glory days, with a career spanning more than 20 years.
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Schmeichel was part of the Leicester team that won the Premier League in 2016 and the FA Cup five years later, before moving to Nice and Anderlecht before joining Celtic in the summer of 2024.
He is scheduled to go under the knife for the first time on Friday, vowing to fight for his career through a lengthy rehabilitation process.
“My mind is like, ‘Okay, I’ll try my best to see if I can get back,'” he said.
“If I could come back from an injury like this, it would probably be one of the greatest feats of my career. I’m going to fight, I’m going to try the best I can.”
The Hoops are set to make a serious effort this summer to rebuild a squad that has failed to live up to expectations so far this season, and they are looking to start things off with a double swap from one of their Premiership rivals.
Celtic aim to sign double contract with Motherwell duo
Celtic are battling rival interest from Rangers in their bid to sign Motherwell sensation Ilya Just, according to the Daily Record.
The deal was announced in the context of Steelmen manager Jens Berthel Askou, who is believed to be at the top of the shortlist to replace Martin O’Neill on a permanent basis.
New Zealand international Just quickly rose to prominence after arriving at Fir Park last summer, scoring seven goals in the top flight and ranking as Motherwell’s best player according to popular statistics site Whoscored.
Motherwell top league performers | Who scored the evaluation? |
|---|---|
Ilya Just | 7.16 |
thank you very much. | 7.16 |
Stephen Welsh | 7.13 |
Elliot Watt | 7.13 |
callum slattery | 7.08 |
The 25-year-old, who can play on either wing, will settle more easily under the bright lights at Parkhead if he arrives alongside the two-time Manager of the Month winner this season.
