(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Mon 30 March 2026 7:30, UK

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Celtic manager Martin O’Neill will surely be delighted with the way that goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo has seen his international break play out.

The 24-year-old started and kept a clean sheet for Finland as they defeated New Zealand 2-0 last week, before he was an unused substitute for the penalty shootout loss to Cape Verde on Monday.

The Scandinavian outfit have not qualified for this summer’s World Cup, and they only have one more friendly against Germany at the end of May, before their assignments are complete until September.

Sinisalo played second fiddle to Monaco’s Lukas Hradecky for their final fixture in March’s international break, and that will have been music to the ears of O’Neill and his staff.

Celtic return to action against Dundee on Sunday, and they will be heavily relying on their number one to turn in another strong display between the posts.

Viljami Sinisalo workload managed effectively

Sinisalo began the campaign as a distant number two to Kasper Schmeichel in Celtic’s goalkeeping department, as he would have expected most of his assignments to have come in the domestic cups.

However, his role has changed drastically in recent weeks, and he has now been catapulted into the spotlight to become one of the Bhoys’ key players in the remainder of their Scottish Premiership title push.

Sinisalo replaced Schmeichel for the second leg of the Europa League play-off clash with Stuttgart, and the veteran’s season-ending injury now means that he must play every game for Celtic from here onwards.

That has automatically seen him become one of O’Neill’s most important players, as they will need him to remain on top form if they are to have any chance of clawing back the six-point gap to Hearts at the top of the table.

With that in mind, O’Neill will be delighted with the way that Sinisalo’s international break has played out, with Finland’s games now completed.

He played and performed well in their first encounter, before being given a watching brief in the second clash, and that saw him strike the perfect balance between keeping himself in form, but also not having to endure the sort of workload that could have put him at risk of injury.

Sinisalo could force summer U-turn at Celtic

Football Insider revealed earlier in March that Sinisalo could get the number one spot at Celtic, which would then see the club alter their transfer plans slightly.

The Parkhead outfit have been targeting the addition of an experienced goalkeeper to come in and start next term, but Sinisalo is now said to be “doing everything he can” to prove that he is worthy of the starting shirt long-term.

He has impressed the hierarchy at Celtic Park with his displays in recent weeks, and sources have indicated that they could turn their focus towards signing a new back-up if he continues to perform.

A new goalkeeper is set to come through the door regardless of his form or the managerial situation come the summer, but the level of that addition appears to be in Sinisalo’s hands.