GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) 鈥� Celtic and Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel fears his career might be over because he needs two shoulder operations that will require up to a year of rehabilitation.
The 39-year-old Schmeichel said he was given the diagnosis on a visit to a specialist on Monday. He has missed Celtic’s last five matches after aggravating a longstanding left shoulder injury playing against Stuttgart in the Europa League last month.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a body blow,” Schmeichel told CBS Sports Golazo Network late Tuesday. “I鈥檝e torn the bicep, torn the rotator cuff, dislocated the shoulder, torn the labrum 鈥� everything鈥檚 kind of gone … It鈥檚 looking like 10-12 months of rehab.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 really know how to react to this,” he added. “Because I could have potentially played my last ever football game. I鈥檝e been a footballer since the day I was born. That kind of thought is devastating. It鈥檚 very, very hard to wrap my head around at the moment.鈥�
Schmeichel, who will be missing when Denmark plays in the World Cup playoffs next week, said he will undergo surgery on Friday and vowed to fight to continue his career.
鈥淢y mind is like, 鈥極K, I鈥檓 going to give it absolutely everything I can to see if I can get back,’鈥� he said.
鈥淚t would be probably one of the greatest feats of my career if I could get back from an injury like this. I鈥檓 going to fight, I鈥檓 going to try everything I can.鈥�
Schmeichel 鈥� the son of Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel 鈥� was a member of the Leicester team that won the Premier League in unforgettable style in 2016 as well as the FA Cup five years later. He then played for Nice and Anderlecht, before joining Celtic in 2024.
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