Viljami Sinisalo has been quizzed on Kasper Schmeichel’s situation at Celtic.
The devastating news of Schmeichel’s long-term absence was to the benefit of the Hoops’ number two, who has encouraged Parkhead fans when deputising for the 39-year-old.
In starting in Celtic’s 2-0 loss against Dundee United on Sunday, Sinisalo tasted defeat for just the second time since his move to Glasgow.
Before recent weeks, he had witnessed much of the team’s struggles from the bench.
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Asked by Sky Sports’ Luke Shanley if it’s been tough to watch Schmeichel playing through pain, Sinisalo said: “It’s tough, because actually, I don’t know much.
“Obviously, it’s medical records that are confidential, so I wouldn’t know much about that.
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“I’ve just tried to be as good of a teammate as I could whilst he’s been in the team, and yeah, he’s now there to support the group.
“He’s now there to support me, and to try and get us over the line in this league season.”
Asked how he would describe the season itself, Sinisalo said: “Tough question, that!
“It’s probably been one of them… stuff has happened that you wouldn’t write, that you wouldn’t have thought would happen.
“There’s been different styles of play, there’s been different ideas. I think we’ve now settled on an idea where we all feel really comfortable and are trying to do our best to give us a chance to go and win this league.
“I think the main takeaway is that it’s been a season like no other.”
Sinisalo now has 19 appearances since moving to Glasgow 20 months ago, in the same summer transfer window as Schmeichel.
In the season prior, he had made 50 appearances for Exeter City in League One, on loan there from Aston Villa.
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An unfortunate series of events for Celtic’s Kasper Schmeichel
Schmeichel had initially been an extremely successful Celtic signing.
He helped the Hoops win the League Cup and qualify for the Champions League knockout stage in his first six months, appearing an upgrade on Joe Hart.
But the damage sustained to his shoulder on that night playing for Denmark against Portugal last year completely halted his trajectory. Rushed back to action for the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen, he cost Celtic the game with a fatal error.
This season, after a positive start, the shoulder problem increasingly became the elephant in the room as opposing attackers increasingly found joy by targeting Schmeichel’s right side.
There are now serious doubts over whether he will play again, after news that he will need to spend 10-12 months on the sidelines in order to recover from the injury.
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