Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Thu 19 March 2026 15:20, UK

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Kasper Schmeichel’s recent injury reveal has provoked a reaction at Celtic, with Chris Sutton blaming the actions of Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Nancy and Martin O’Neill.

The Dane revealed, while live on CBS Sports Golazo for Champions League coverage, that he is set to miss 10-12 months of action with several significant injuries.

The 39-year-old revealed last month that he had been playing for Celtic with an injury already, but this week has revealed just how serious that injury was.

Schmeichel even went as far as to say that he may have played the last game of his professional career, with his contract at Parkhead set to expire this summer.

Celtic’s transfer plans already likely involved a goalkeeper, but the pressure to find a new shot-stopper has been intensified, with Vilkamo Sinisalo set to see out the season in between the posts.

Chris Sutton slams Celtic managers

Football Insider exclusively revealed in January that Celtic looked for a Schmeichel replacement, but ultimately failed to secure a new signing.

Frustration had been building against the Denmark international, who has made several mistakes this season.

Particularly high-profile mistakes came in the Europa League against Stuttgart and Hibernian in February, after which he was dropped.

Schmeichel’s comments on Tuesday provoked a huge reaction within the fanbase, with many left wondering why he had been playing at all.

The 39-year-old had clearly been restricted by his injuries, with some blaming the medical staff for allowing him to play, while others suggested that the goalkeeper had hidden the issues in order to maintain his hopes of going to the World Cup this summer.

In his Daily Record column on Thursday, Sutton wrote: “When all is said and done, the decision on whether Schmeichel played ahead of Viljami Sinisalo came down to Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Nancy and Martin O’Neill. Not the keeper himself.

“I just don’t get the way this has all now come out. It surprised me. You’d suspect he wouldn’t be very happy at not playing, he’s not now, so is that the reason why it’s all come out? I don’t know.”

Schmeichel debate to rumble on

In truth, it is unlikely that the full story about Schmeichel’s injury issues will emerge for some time.

Whether the goalkeeper hid his injuries, or merely discovered them after a trip to the specialist – who can say?

What is clear is that Celtic’s procedures to handle such situations failed, allowing a clearly injured player to continue worsening the problem.

In all likelihood, Schmeichel will leave Parkhead this summer, but this debacle should be a lesson learned for those making such decisions.