Martin O’Neill has revealed that Jota will miss the rest of the season after the Celtic winger suffered a minor ‘setback’.
Jota suffered a serious injury in Celtic’s win over Dundee United at the end of last season and has not been seen in the first-team since.
The initial feeling about the injury was that Jota would be missing for six to nine months after Brendan Rodgers said it was a cruciate problem the Celtic winger suffered.
However, as fans were patiently waiting for the superstar from Portugal to return to action, Martin O’Neill has revealed the true extent of the injury that will see Jota miss the rest of Celtic’s season.
Jota ‘always smiling’ as Celtic winger requires surgery
With Celtic short on attacking options, the return of Jota to the first-team would have given O’Neill’s title defence a huge shot in the arm.
However, the Portuguese star is set to miss the rest of the season as the Celtic manager reveals the cause of the latest ‘setback’ and how Jota is feeling now.
O’Neill told The Herald, “But it’s something that during the course of your treatment, I think it would be a bit of a meniscus thing, or something, I guess here.
“He hasn’t had a major setback, let me put it this way. But it’s taking longer than one would have imagined.
“Brendan [Rodgers] thought it was going to be January, February. That could have been at the time. That could have been the prognosis.
“But the little setback that he’s had is not preventing extra things. It’s just something that you can clear up with one of those keyhole surgery things.
“It’s a tidy up, absolutely. It’s not major. I was speaking to him the other day. He’s fine. He’s always smiling.”
Jota’s immediate impact on Celtic return is what O’Neill needs right now
When Jota returned to Celtic last January, it softened the blow of losing Kyogo to Rennes.
The winger was a huge fan favourite in his first spell at the club as Jota’s wing play had Celtic supporters off their seats.
Will Celtic win the league without Jota? Let us know in the comments.
And when he returned, it was like he had never gone away. Here is how Jota fared before his injury:
- Played: 16
- Goals: 5
- Assists: 2
Celtic are just six points behind Hearts in the title race with Tynecastle up on Sunday. Can O’Neill really win this league without the Portuguese winger?
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
