KASPER SCHMEICHEL admits it is strange as he attempts to “wrap his head” around the possibility he has played his last game.
The 39-year-old legendary Danish keeper’s hopes of going out on a high have been scuppered by the career-threatening injury to his right shoulder which he sustained on international duty against Portugal in Lisbon over a year ago.
Schmeichel’s contract at Celtic comes to an end next month and is resigned to the fact his two-year career at the champions is over.
PAIN GAME…Kasper Schmeichel is left in distress after sustaining the career-threatening shoulder injury while playing for Denmark against Portugal in March last year.
The former Manchester City and Leicester City netminder, who joined the Parkhead club as a free agent in the summer of 2024 after leaving Anderlecht, would have envisaged bringing down the curtain on a stellar career with a league and Cup double.
His predecessor, Joe Hart, made his exit in style with a shut-out in the 1-0 Scottish Cup Final victory over Philippe Clement’s Ibrox side at Hampden on the iconic date of May 25 in 2024.
However, there is no chance of Schmeichel staging a spectacular swansong when the Hoops take on Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline in the grand finale on May 23.
The shotstopper will face at least going under the knife twice in an effort to find a solution to his torn bicep rotator cuff that clearly hindered the keeper this season.
Offering an update on his injury, Schmeichel said: “The status at the moment is I’ve had one surgery, which was exploratory and a clean-up surgery.
JOLLY GREEN GIANT…Kasper Schmeichel in control.
“There is a lot of damage in there, a lot of infection and I am going to need another one or two, maybe three surgeries.
“Yeah, it’s a strange reality at the moment and it has been a strange couple of months trying to wrap my head around it.”
Unfortunately, Schmeichel became a target for a section of the Hoops support after some disappointing performances, most notably the 3-1 derby defeat on January 3 – Wilfried Nancy’s eighth and last game in charge – and the 4-1 home Europa League loss to Vfb Stuttgart in February.
The giant No.1 played his final game a few days after the loss against the Bundesliga side – another reverse, this time against Hibs at Parkhead when the Edinburgh club won 2-1 courtesy of a late goal.
PARADISE…Kasper Schmeichel in happier times at Celtic.
Responding to the boo brigade, Schmeichel, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “I am a sensitive guy. I hear a lot of stuff and I feed off that energy, no question – both positive and negative.
“But the energy the fans can bring is so important.
“When you play at Celtic Park and they are with you, you are unstoppable. You stand in that goal and you feel the atmosphere, you feel the drive.
“I’d hate to be an opposition player there because that is the ultimate weapon Celtic have – that unity and that support.
“When all that is buzzing, you have won before you go on the pitch, practically. But that is what Celtic is.”
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