The Dane is set to miss up to six weeks of action after personally revealing the extent of a serious shoulder problem
Kasper Schmeichel(Image: SNS Group)
Demmark head coach Brian Riemer has been blasted for not revealing the true extent of the injury suffered by Kasper Schmeichel that has ruled him out of the nation’s crunch World Cup play offs.
The 39-year-old shot stopper has missed Celtic‘s last four games, with Viljami Sinisalo manning the position between the posts in his absence.
Prior to their Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Rangers, interim Hoops boss Martin O’Neill had claimed that the veteran was closing in on a return to action after recovering from an illness, only for Schmeichel himself to then come out and confirm that he is set to miss a further six weeks with a long-standing shoulder problem.
As well as key fixtures in Celtic’s title-run in, Schmeichel will also miss Denmark’s crucial World Cup play-off semi final showdown with North Macedonia on March 26, with the winners then going onto face the victors of the tie between Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland for a place at the finals in North America next summer.
Schmeichel’s bombshell provoked Denmark bos Riemer to comment that the injury revelation should come as ‘no surprise’, hinting he has always been aware of the Premier League winner’s issues behind the scenes.
But ex Celtic maverick Thomas Gravesen – an outspoken critic of Riemer – has blasted the coach for not being more transparent with the media about the situation.
Speaking to Viaplay Sports, he said: “This is clearly something that goes back a long, long way, and again I have to blame Brian Riemer. Come on out! What kind of secrecy is this? Why is it that you can’t talk about these things when they happen? Why does it have to come as such a surprise?
Thomas Gravesen(Image: SNS Group)
“It was a bombshell when he announced his cancellation. If Brian Riemer has known about it for a long time… Now take charge of the situation and go out and be the helmsman of this ship called DBU.
“Show us that you know everything and that you are aware of everything. Now stop creating a stir in the duck pond. Now come out and take control of this huge story, which is that our top goalkeeper is suddenly not there!”
Gravesen now fears that Schmeichel won’t be able to add to the 120 caps he has racked up for his country, adding: “I’m starting to wonder if this is the last we’ve seen of this fantastic goalkeeper.”
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