Celtic 'pleasantly surprised' by player's emergence as Martin O'Neill lauds 'really good lad'

Sinisalo has started Celtic’s past five matches and earned plaudits for his displays in recent victories away at Stuttgart and Rangers. He will be asked to keep goal for the rest of the season after it was revealed earlier in the week that Schmeichel requires career-threatening surgery on a shoulder issue.

Sinisalo, 24, was not known by O’Neill prior to his arrival at Celtic Park this season. The Finland internationalist was given run-outs in Scottish Cup ties against Auchinleck Talbot and Dundee before the veteran coach turned to him on a full-time basis.

"I have been pleasantly surprised,” O’Neill said of the way Sinisalo has stepped into the breach. “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 next season] may be a decision for someone else to make, but I'm really delighted with him.

Asked if he has seen enough from Sinisalo to handle the pressure of a Premiership title race and Scottish Cup tilt, 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.”