Kasper Schmeichel finds himself in a troublesome position.
His future is in doubt, for both club and country. Viljami Sinisalo has impressed since taking his place in the Celtic side.
Meanwhile, with Schmeichel not having missed a competitive international for Denmark since 2018, national boss Brian Riemer says he ‘isn’t surprised’ to see him pull out of the squad.
It’s a debacle that started last March, and in the year since, much of Schmeichel and Celtic’s pain – both literal and metaphorical – has been self-inflicted.
You have £10m to spend on a new goalkeeper to replace Kasper Schmeichel…
Who do you pick?
Kasper Schmeichel and Celtic’s catastrophic injury management
Schmeichel broke his shoulder in a Nations League match between Portugal and Denmark on 23 March 2025.
With his side having used all of their subs, Schmeichel stayed on the pitch as the Danes eventually lost 5-2 after extra-time.
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Whilst the bone itself heals within six to 12 weeks, a professional goalkeeper would be expected to take three to six months to recover from a broken shoulder.
Despite this, Schmeichel returned to Celtic training within six weeks, returning to the team for Celtic’s last two games of the season, including the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen, in which he made a costly error.
Schmeichel had been outstanding in his first nine months in Glasgow, but this was a black mark against his debut season. At the beginning of this campaign, he proved the critics wrong by beginning the season with a run of eight consecutive clean sheets.
But since then, his form has taken a significant downturn, with fans calling for him to be dropped as early as Celtic’s 2-0 home defeat to Braga.
Schmeichel has notably struggled with shots low to his right. Think Mikey Moore for Rangers, Oisin McEntee for Hearts, Jamie Leweling for Stuttgart…
Speaking of the Stuttgart game, this was clearly a fateful night for the 39-year-old. On a night which saw him embarrassingly booed by his own fans (embarrassingly on the fans’ side much more Schmeichel’s), we now know that he damaged his shoulder even further.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Schmeichel after such a damaging period, especially given that such a gifted goalkeeper would’ve had a real chance at a full recovery if more time had been taken with the injury.
Instead, his Celtic future and World Cup hopes have never been in more doubt.
Where does this latest setback leave Kasper Schmeichel?
Celtic’s Kasper Schmeichel reflects on shoulder injury
Speaking to Danish outlet Sport TV 2, Schmeichel fully opened up for the first time, saying: “It hurts me a lot, because throughout my career I have done everything to play for the Danish national team.
“It is just the biggest thing for me. I am with the boys all the way, and I know they will give everything to qualify us for the World Cup.
“A year ago I broke my shoulder against Portugal, but stayed on the field and played on because we did not have any more substitutions.
“It has caused a lot of after-effects that have been difficult to live with – and to play with.
“But the last few months have taken a bad turn with my shoulder, and it has really caused me problems.
“When we played the Europa League against Stuttgart a few weeks ago, I landed on the wrong shoulder for their first goal and smashed something again.
“I have done everything I could to get ready ever since. I have had various treatments, injections and blockades, and unfortunately that has not made it better.
“On the contrary, a nerve was hit during an injection, and that also made me sick.
“Now I have to protect my body. I have been told by the specialists that the only thing that will help my shoulder is a four-to-six week break.
“There will be matches after this, and there will be a new season, and I also have to think about that. It can’t go on anymore. I have to admit that my shoulder is not right.
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