Kasper Schmeichel was back in between the sticks for Celtic on Saturday.
Celtic beat Hibernian to celebrate the title, but one of the first things Schmeichel did upon his return was pick up the ball from the back of the net.
Martin Boyle opened the scoring after 25 minutes, but then the champions showcased their attacking might and turned the game around.
During Schmeichel’s time on the sidelines, rising youngster Viljami Sinisalo donned the gloves, including in the Glasgow derby last week.
The Celtic Park faithful got to see, for a fair few matches, what the 23-year-old is all about, and Pat Bonner shared his thoughts.
Pat Bonner delivers Viljami Sinisalo verdict following Kasper Schmeichel’s injury
Bonner was a legendary keeper during his time at Celtic, so he knows full well what it takes to perform in the pressure cooker of that role.
The keeper-turned-pundit stated that Schmeichel’s injury was a ‘bonus from a negative’ because everyone got to see what their number two is all about.
And Bonner likes what he sees from Sinisalo, because he thinks the former Aston Villa player can ‘actually do the job’, as he told BBC Radio Scotland.
“Just on that goalkeeping situation,” said Bonner. “At least we now know that Sinisalo can actually do the job when he comes into the team.
“That injury to Schmeichel allowed that to happen. Before that, we didn’t see him really, and we didn’t know how he was going to do. That’s a bonus from a negative.
“He is only a kid from a goalkeeping perspective, but he looks the part and we see what happens next year.”
Sinisalo’s stats for Celtic
It will be interesting to see what Rodgers does next season and how quickly he throws his number two into the action.
This season, you could understand Sinisalo remaining on the bench for the cup matches, but now he has proven that he is ready to defend the League Cup next term.
Either way, Sinisalo hasn’t looked out of place during his time on the pitch, and it’s another nod to Celtic’s recruitment.
| Games | Goals conceded | Clean Sheets |
| 7 | 3 | 4 |
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