Kasper Schmeichel has spoken in detail about the shoulder injury he picked up in March, which kept him out for a large part of the season’s run-in. The Danish goalkeeper was forced off after a heavy collision during Denmark’s Nations League quarter-final second leg against Portugal.
Those concerns came up again in the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen. With Celtic ahead late in the match, Schmeichel attemped to punch away a cross but didn’t connect properly. The ball bounced awkwardly behind him and into the net, allowing Aberdeen to force extra time. In the penalty shootout, his movement—mainly diving to one side—made it seem like he wasn’t fully fit.
He said: (Ekstra Bladet), “I heard the crack. It was right up to my left ear. It really hurt. The pain was very intense.
“It’s one of those unfortunate situations that could have been avoided if the flag had been up.
“I think many collisions could be avoided in football because of the rules that exist now.
“I didn’t have surgery. The shoulder just had to grow together. In fact, I was back on the training pitch after just a week and a half, where I could play with my feet.
“In May I was given the green light to train after all the scans were positive. And since then I haven’t had any pain and my shoulder is completely fine again.”
Schmeichel’s quick return was a boost for Celtic, but his mistake at Hampden showed how small the margins can be, especially for a goalkeeper coming back from injury. At 38, with years of experience behind him, he’s still a strong presence, but the cup final incident showed how important sharpness is after time out.
As Denmark get ready for friendlies against Northern Ireland and Lithuania, Schmeichel is back in the squad and keen to show he’s fully fit. The aim for Schmeichel will now be to get back to full sharpness and make sure Celtic can count on him when the new season starts.
