GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a body blow,” Schmeichel told CBS Sports Golazo Network late Tuesday. “I\u2019ve torn the bicep, torn the rotator cuff, dislocated the shoulder, torn the labrum \u2014 everything\u2019s kind of gone … It\u2019s looking like 10-12 months of rehab.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t really know how to react to this,” he added. “Because I could have potentially played my last ever football game. I\u2019ve been a footballer since the day I was born. That kind of thought is devastating. It\u2019s very, very hard to wrap my head around at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mind is like, \u2018OK, I\u2019m going to give it absolutely everything I can to see if I can get back,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be probably one of the greatest feats of my career if I could get back from an injury like this. I\u2019m going to fight, I\u2019m going to try everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schmeichel \u2014 the son of Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n