Kasper Schmeichel is back in Celtic training after being sidelined with an illness, and according to Martin O'Neill, the goalkeeper is performing much better.
The Dane has been out since the 2-1 loss to Hibernian at Parkhead, having lost his No.1 spot to Viljami Sinisalo, who is in fine form for the Celts. Schmeichel was conceding a lot of goals because of errors he was making, seemingly because he didn't want to dive on his left shoulder, but now, he's feeling much better.
The manager said:
"He's much, much better now. He trained today, and he didn't feel his shoulder; it's feeling much better after the injection."
O'Neill was asked whether a possible return to action could be on the cards against Motherwell:
"I'll have a look at that and see."
Ross Doohan has been the backup goalkeeper named on the bench while Schmeichel was injured, but he could now lose that spot to the experienced keeper. It's unlikely that Sinisalo will lose his starting place, with his performances since coming in being absolutely top-notch.
Schmeichel may be dropped from the national team
Denmark manager Brian Riemer has spoken out about Schmeichel's chances of making the next squad for the international break, revealing that he has been in contact with both the club and the player.
Riemer said:
"I have, of course, been in dialogue with both Kasper and Celtic.
There are always different circumstances associated with my selections. But in general, playing time means a lot to me, of course, but, as I have said many times, there are also exceptions, because it is always about fielding the strongest possible national team. That is my most important task as national coach.
I can't say anything about Kasper's situation at this time. What I can say is that it is my job to play with the best possible goalkeeper so that Denmark can get to the World Cup. Incidentally, this doesn't just apply to the goalkeeper position. It also applies to the other ten positions on the pitch.
On behalf of Danish football, we should be happy that we have three top-class goalkeepers. Two of them are first-choice goalkeepers for their club teams and play in the world's best league. In addition, we have a very experienced Kasper Schmeichel with 120 international matches.
We have three talented goalkeepers who are in real competition for the place as first goalkeeper for Denmark. It's great as a national coach to have more options to choose from."
It honestly doesn't sound great for the goalkeeper's hopes of making the World Cup. Having been dropped by his club, it's unlikely that he would retain his starting spot for his country.
There is still a chance that he could have a resurgence at Celtic, but at this point, it seems unlikely. Fans would probably be content if he didn't play any more games for the Hoops, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Of course, we are in a title race, and anything can happen. We'll have to wait and see if Schmeichel's Celtic career is truly over.