Martin O’Neill has spoken about Kasper Schmeichel after the injured goalkeeper was spotted in Manchester during Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren.
Schmeichel was not involved at Hampden as Celtic came through a wild game that went to extra time. Instead, he was seen at Manchester City’s match against Arsenal, which drew attention given the timing.
The keeper has been out with a shoulder problem and, as things stand, he is expected to miss the rest of the season. That has already changed things in the squad, with Viljami Sinisalo stepping in and taking over during a busy run.
O’Neill was asked about Schmeichel after the match, but his focus was on the injury and what happens next rather than the trip. The manager made it clear that the situation depends on medical advice.
He said: (RecordSport), “He is still contracted to the club, yes.
“There are some medical decisions to be made on whether he’s to get this operation.
“I will know more about that in the middle of the week.
“But I have been speaking to the medical staff who were telling me he was going to see a specialist.
“He may even have done that by now as that was last midweek.
“But I don’t know whether the specialist wants to do this operation or not.
“That was the last news I got but I’ll know more this midweek.”
That update leaves things open rather than settled. If he needs surgery, he will be out longer and any return gets pushed further away. If not, recovery may move quicker, but that is still not clear.
For now, Celtic have had to get on without him. Sinisalo has taken the gloves, and the team has gone through big games without that experience behind them.
His contract adds another layer. Schmeichel is still a Celtic player, but with no clear timeline, decisions about next season are still up in the air.
At this stage, it comes down to the medical call. Once that is known, Celtic can decide what comes next for both the player and the position.
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