INJURED Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has revealed he may have played the last game of his career as he prepares for surgery and faces up to a year of rehabilitation.
The 39-year-old has missed the Hoops’ last five games, having last featured in the 2-1 home defeat to Hibs on February 22.
Speaking to CBS Sports Golazo on Tuesday while working as a pundit on the Champions League, Schmeichel said ‘everything’s kind of gone’ as he listed his injury problems.
“I was at a specialist yesterday [Monday], basically I’m going to need two surgeries now to fix my shoulder, which is a bit of a body blow,” he said.
“I’ve torn the bicep, torn the rotator cuff, dislocated the shoulder, torn the labrum — everything’s kind of gone.
“To put it in terms you can understand, it’s like an outfielder doing their ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and their achilles at the same time.”
‘Devastating’
Schmeichel, whose contract with Celtic expires in the summer, said he is facing two operations, the first of which is next Friday.
With up to a year in rehab, he said he was grappling with the knowledge that he may already have played his last game — a devastating blow ahead of Denmark’s potential involvement at this summer’s World Cup.
“It’s looking like 10 to 12 months of rehab — it’s been a strange few days,” he said, adding: “You don’t really know how to react to this because I could have potentially played my last ever football game.
“I’ve been a footballer since the day I was born and that kind of thought is devastating, it’s very, very hard to wrap my head around at the moment.”
He continued: “I got the message yesterday [Monday] that it could potentially be the end of my career and because of my age, by the time I could get back fit, I could be plus 40.”
Despite the news, Schmeichel said he was going to ‘give it absolutely everything’ to get back on the pitch.
“It would be probably one of the greatest feats of my career if I could ever get back from an injury like this,” he said.
“I’m going to fight, I’m going to try everything, I’m going to do everything I can.”
Celtic double
A Premier League winner with Leicester City, Schmeichel won the Scottish Premiership and League Cup double in his first season at Celtic last term.
However, he has come under fire from some Celtic fans this season, including being booed during the 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart last month.
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill subsequently defended his first-choice keeper prior to the Hibs match, saying Schmeichel had ‘done exceptionally well for me in my time here’.
In the Dane’s injury-enforced absence, Finnish keeper Viljami Sinisalo has kept two clean sheets as Celtic have won four of their last five games.
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