Kasper Schmeichel: Celtic boss Martin O’Neil...

Celtic supervisor Martin O’Neill was stunned to listen to of Kasper Schmeichel’s on-air announcement declaring his profession may be over.

O’Neill had said final Friday that the goalkeeper was closing in on a return to health however Schmeichel introduced reside on CBS’s Champions League protection on Wednesday that he confronted double shoulder surgical procedure and as much as a yr of rehabilitation.

O’Neill was conscious throughout his first caretaker spell in cost that Schmeichel was nonetheless experiencing ache from the shoulder he injured whereas taking part in for Denmark 12 months in the past.

However the 74-year-old stated: “I have to admit I used to be stunned on the severity of it. I do know that he was having injections to play a number of the video games and, whereas that is not an ideal treatment, I did not realise how dangerous it was. Disenchanted to listen to the information.

“I did not assume that Kasper was going to announce it. Tim Williamson, our physio, was conscious that the scan had proven up a lot worse than we thought.

“However I wasn’t anticipating to listen to that. I did not hear it first hand, however I heard it second hand. Clearly I’d have most popular to have heard it myself.”

O’Neill added: “It occurred relatively shortly. Imagine it or not, typically I could be incommunicado.”

Schmeichel, who was current however not absolutely collaborating in coaching on Friday, got here below criticism for some performances since first struggling the damage, notably when he scored an personal objective in Celtic’s Scottish Cup remaining defeat by Aberdeen.

Followers continued to query whether or not the shoulder subject was hampering him.

“We have all performed with accidents,” former Nottingham Forest midfielder O’Neill stated. “I have been responsible of that myself, a hundred-odd years in the past, attempting to play by an damage to play in a European Cup remaining.

“I believed he was actually terrific in my first spell right here. He made some huge saves in video games.

“Whereas I knew that there was an issue along with his shoulder, which he had had for some appreciable time, once more, I did not assume it was as extreme because it’s turned out to be.

“He appeared to get by the video games and, whilst you do not wish to flog somebody to loss of life, he was doing wonderful and he did not assume it was a significant downside at the moment.”

O’Neill said that Schmeichel had skilled a nasty response to an injection after being absent from Celtic’s latest 2-2 draw with Rangers, which got here 10 days after the Dane conceded two very gentle objectives in a 4-1 defeat by Stuttgart.

When requested if Schmeichel taking part in by damage had price Celtic, O’Neill stated: “I feel you are in all probability referring actually to the Stuttgart sport as a lot as anything. By way of outcomes, the outcomes have been wonderful. Each with him within the facet and clearly with Viljami Sinisalo within the staff.

“Kasper performed after Stuttgart. He performed towards Hibs, made an enormous save for us. We did not win the sport, however he did make an enormous save for us to stop Hibs taking the lead earlier than they did.”

In the meantime, Callum McGregor is anticipated to be match for Celtic’s journey to face Dundee United on Sunday following a calf damage.