Kasper Schmeichel has acknowledged that he may be facing the end of his career due to a severe shoulder injury.
The Celtic goalkeeper has been enduring discomfort since sustaining an injury to his left shoulder while playing for Denmark last year, and he exacerbated the issue during a match against Stuttgart last month.
He has missed the last five games for Martin O’Neill’s team after receiving a “devastating” diagnosis from a specialist on Monday.
In an interview with CBS Sports Golazo Network, Schmeichel revealed, “I’m going to need two surgeries now to repair my shoulder.”
“It’s quite a heavy blow. I’ve torn my bicep, damaged my rotator cuff, dislocated my shoulder, and wrecked my labrum — it’s all gone wrong. I’m looking at 10 to 12 months of rehabilitation.”
“You don’t really know how to respond to this news. I might have just played my last football match. I’ve been involved in football since I can remember, so the thought of that is devastating. It’s incredibly difficult to process right now.”
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The 39-year-old has followed in the footsteps of his father, Peter, who played a crucial role during Manchester United’s success in the past, and has enjoyed a career spanning over two decades.
He was part of the Leicester team that clinched the Premier League title in 2016 and bagged an FA Cup five years later, before moving to Nice and Anderlecht before joining Celtic in the summer of 2024.
Schmeichel is scheduled to undergo his first surgery on Friday, and he is determined to fight for his career during the lengthy rehab process.
“My mindset is clear: I’m going to give everything I can to see if I can return,” he stated. “It would be one of the greatest achievements of my career to recover from an injury like this. I’m ready to fight and try everything possible.”