Kasper Schmeichel has made a surprise early return to training at Lennoxtown, raising hopes that the veteran goalkeeper could be back in action for Celtic sooner than initially feared.
The 38-year-old picked up a shoulder injury while on international duty with Denmark during their UEFA Nations League play-off second leg against Portugal on March 26. The injury occurred in extra time and looked serious at the time, with initial reports suggesting he could miss up to six weeks of action.
However, Schmeichel was spotted back on the training ground on Friday ahead of Celtic’s trip to St Johnstone, albeit not in full-contact drills. Brendan Rodgers was quick to play down any immediate return, but gave fans a glimmer of hope that the shot-stopper might beat the medical timeline.
“No, no, he’s clearly not damaged his feet,” Rodgers joked, as quoted by the Celtic Way, when asked about Schmeichel’s presence on the training pitch. “So, he can use his feet and work on his touch and whatnot. I think the time we’ve been given has been five to six weeks by the medical experts, but that could be sooner.
“He feels good, he’s got some mobility, he’s got rotation there, but we just obviously have to be careful with the blade and his shoulders. He can do other things, so he’s out on the training field and working on the technical side of his game.”
With Schmeichel sidelined, Celtic will once again turn to Viljami Sinisalo to guard the goalposts. The 23-year-old Finn impressed during his league debut against Hearts and now has the opportunity to build on that performance as the Premiership run-in begins.
He commanded his area very well, and made a good reaction save. It’s now time for him to show this consistently and impress Celtic fans as he looks to fight for the number 1 jersey at Celtic.
