Martin O’Neill has acknowledged he was just as taken aback as anyone upon discovering the full seriousness of Kasper Schmeichel’s injury.
The Celtic manager said that ultimately only Schmeichel himself can say how truthful he was regarding his shoulder condition.
However, O’Neill admitted he was shocked by the revelation of the goalkeeper’s condition.
He explained he had no idea about the gravity of the issue until Schmeichel revealed on American television that his career could be at risk.
The 39-year-old now faces two surgeries after scans showed the full extent of the damage, ruling him out of Denmark’s World Cup campaign and potentially sidelining him for up to a year.
Schmeichel had conceded some weak goals before being dropped last month, leading some Celtic supporters to suspect he may have been hiding the true extent of the injury for some time.
That suggestion was raised with O’Neill and, when asked whether he would dismiss claims of dishonesty, he said: “Well, do you know, eventually, only Kasper would know that. But I was surprised the announcement had been made and the severity of it.
“If you’ve done some extra damage in between times, let’s say he’s done some extra days of training here, then maybe I can understand it, but from the previous scans that we’d done, I never thought we were dealing with a career-threatening injury.
“In my first spell here, I knew his shoulder had caused a few problems, he’d had a couple of injections to play and he did really well.
“I don’t want to be accused of flogging somebody. Of course someone has to come and tell you: ‘Listen, this is so bad I can’t play in the game.’ But I never thought it was an issue of a career-ending injury, so I was surprised when I heard the news.
“He’d had an injection just after the first Rangers game. That was the one that I think has caused him a few problems, but even with that, you’re still thinking, initially, when he wasn’t playing he was ill, not because, or not that I thought, because of his shoulder.
“If he hadn’t been ill that morning I’d have had a decision to make about whether [Viljami] Sinisalo, having played the second Stuttgart [game], had done well enough to be in the side.
“Did I think someone was playing with a career threatening injury? No I didn’t.
In fairness to him, I think he did a bit more damage to it that he didn’t realsie he had done. That’s what he was telling me. And deep down I think he was surprised of the serious nature of something else that had happened at the top of his shoulder
“I didn’t know it was as severe as it turned out to be, potentially career-threatening because of his age and things like that.”
O’Neill was aware Schmeichel had shoulder concerns earlier in the season, but remained satisfied with his displays.
He added: “I thought he was terrific during that six or seven weeks I was involved. He made some big, big saves. He did really well, but you go from game to game.
“I knew there was a problem with his shoulder, but I didn’t think it was as severe as it’s turned out to be.
“Hindsight is a great thing, As far as I know, he had the problem roughly the same time last year, but came through it and had an excellent season for the football club. I wasn’t aware of a major problem at that time.
“Players have played through the pain barrier many times and you hope it’s not something that’s going to be a wrecking ball for someone’s career. It became apparent just recently that it was as severe as it is.”
Schmeichel disclosed the issue during CBS Champions League coverage in a discussion with his father, Peter.
O’Neill admitted he would have preferred to be informed beforehand but treated it lightly. He said: “If that was the first announcement, I would have preferred to hear it myself.
“Back in my time, if you didn’t report it to the football club first, you could get a fine. I might have to go and check his contract. It’s a very good point!
“The club were aware of the test he was doing. It happened rather quickly and sometimes I can be incommunicado, not wanting to hear some news.”
O’Neill also revealed he has been impressed by Viljami Sinisalo’s performances.
While Schmeichel’s situation has dominated recent attention, the manager praised the deputy goalkeeper for stepping up effectively.
Sinisalo has delivered solid performances since becoming first choice and is expected to remain in that role for the remainder of the season due to Schmeichel’s absence.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s match against Dundee United, O’Neill evaluated the 24-year-old’s form, saying: “I have been pleasantly surprised. It’s nice to see him try to take this chance in difficult circumstances for a goalkeeper regardless of what happens, with the shadow of what’s going on in the background.
“He’s been wanting to do well and he’s been thrown into some big games. Apparently he did well at Ibrox last season too, but I’m only judging him on my time here.
The first game I put him in was against Auchinleck in the cup at Kilmarnock. I thought there were a couple of things he could have grabbed. He did okay against Dundee in the cup and then honestly he grew into it at Stuttgart and the Ibrox matches.
“I’ve been really pleased with him, really pleased. That [being No 1] may be a decision for someone else to make, but I’m really delighted with him.”
Sinisalo had already shown he could handle high-pressure matches toward the end of last season when he stepped in for Schmeichel after the veteran first sustained the shoulder injury on international duty for Denmark against Portugal.
After spending most of this campaign as backup again, the former Aston Villa goalkeeper is eager to seize this opportunity.
Alongside contributing to the team’s success this season, Sinisalo also has a chance to secure his place ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
He will face increased scrutiny over the remaining eight Premiership fixtures, along with potentially two more matches in the Scottish Cup at Hampden.
When asked about Sinisalo’s ability to cope with the pressure, O’Neill replied: “Good point. I think he’s done really well, but who knows who can handle what.
“But the signs have been very positive. He’s grabbed a couple, he came at and headed one clear that must have been closer to the halfway line at Ibrox.
“I’ve been really pleased with him, he’s a lovely lad and I hope he does well. He’s genuinely a really good lad.”