With Kasper Schmeichel out the door, a fair few goalkeepers have been linked to Celtic in recent times.
One of them includes Levante and Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who was hoping to star for his country at this summer’s World Cup.
Not only does the 34-year-old have 104 caps for the Socceroos, but he is also the captain.
However, Ryan was dropped for Australia’s opening World Cup game against Türkiye, which they won 2-0, and Kasper Schmeichel told Fox Soccer that such a call will be ‘hurting’ the Celtic-linked target.
“To go and then make that decision (drop Ryan),” said Schmeichel. “That’s a huge decision. I feel for Matty Ryan because he is the captain of the team. He still has to do a job.
“But inside, he isn’t just angry. He is hurting. It’s a pride thing.”
- READ MORE: Celtic shouldn’t hesitate with Viljami Sinisalo call now that Martin O’Neill will return next season
How will you reflect on Kasper Schmeichel’s two years at Celtic?
Mat Ryan dropped by Australia for World Cup opener against Türkiye
It’s interesting to note that Ryan’s contract at Levante expires at the end of June, so he will be a free agent this summer, and Celtic love one of those.
But if Celtic go down the route of bringing in experience as they did with Joe Hart and Schmeichel, then it harshly pushes Viljami Sinisalo out the door.
Either way, this is what Schmeichel, who is doing punditry work for an American sports channel at this summer’s World Cup, said about a keeper who could be Glasgow-bound.
“That working environment has to be productive,” said Schmeichel. “At the end of the day, if your goalkeeper makes a mistake, it costs a goal 99% of the time.
“So, your goalkeeper, you have to fill him with so much confidence. You have to make him believe that he is the best and most important guy on the team.
“To go and then make that decision (drop Ryan). That’s a huge decision. I feel for Matty Ryan because he is the captain of the team. He still has to do a job.
“But inside, he isn’t just angry. He is hurting. It’s a pride thing. You are so lonely as a goalkeeper already, and now you have been put on the bench. You have to sit there, and you have to put that to one side. You have to put that hurt, that ego, that pride to one side.
“Now you have to find a different way to help the team. He would have been preparing for the full season. How do I captain my side at the World Cup? Now he has to captain them in a different way. To do that again.
“It will be really interesting to know when that decision was made. If he found out today or yesterday. That adjustment. That’s a big adjustment to make.”
Did Schmeichel drop an interesting hint?
It was interesting to hear Schmeichel digest the situation around Ryan and how he would be feeling right now.
Celtic’s former number one faced a lot of criticism for the way he navigated his shoulder injury, a controversial saga that ultimately brought the curtain down on his playing career.
But Schmeichel suggested that Ryan would have been ‘preparing’ for Australia’s World Cup throughout the recent domestic campaign.
And you just wonder if the Dane thought the same when he got injured in March 2025 and opted against surgery.
Perhaps Schmeichel was thinking one year down the line, wanting to play for Denmark at the World Cup, and knowing he can’t have surgery because that would have kept him out for the rest of the year, which would have meant missing out on crucial qualifiers.
Either way, it was a brutally sad ending to what was a trophy-laden career.
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