Celtic winger, Jota, has been handed a surprise provisional World Cup spot as Portugal prepare to name their 26-man squad for next month’s tournament [A Bola].
Portuguese international boss Fernando Santos named his list of 55 players on Sunday evening, which will be narrowed down by the beginning of November.
Included in his list of potential attacking options was Celtic’s Jota, who is yet to feature for his nation at senior level after successful spells at youth levels.
The 23-year-old joins some world-class attacking talent such as Andre Silva, Rafael Leao and Cristiano Ronaldo, to name just a few, who will all be looking for a spot at Qatar next month.
Jota has enjoyed an incredible last 18 months or so since arriving on loan at Parkhead from boyhood club Benfica, making his move permanent in the summer.
This season, the winger has gone from strength to strength, producing ten goal contributions in his 12 games across all competitions.
Although the ex-Benfica man has been on brilliant form, a place in the squad of one of the best football nations in the world seemed like a very tough task.
However, injuries to the likes of Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and Wolves attacker Pedro Neto have left some calling for the Celtic man to get his chance at senior level.
Whilst that opportunity still seems unlikely to come at Qatar for Jota, he looks to have been handed a vow of confidence for the future after being named in the 55-man provisional squad for the winter tournament [A Bola].
Provisional call points to future international opportunities for Celtic winger.
Some might think a call-up for the Portuguese National team would be an extremely tough task for Jota whilst playing in the east end of Glasgow.
However, after showcasing his performances on the big stage in Glasgow derbies and UEFA Champions League group stages games, the winger looks to have caught the eye of his nation.
As mentioned, a place in the World Cup squad headed for Qatar next month seems unlikely, with Portugal having a whole host of attacking talent available to them.
However, this place in the provisional squad shows Jota that he can have an international future at senior level in the short term as Portugal look to the next generation of attacking talent.
Who knows, a few injuries to a few of his fellow countrymen could open up an unlikely opportunity.
Either way, I am sure Jota will be delighted with his early inclusion and will now be looking to get back to full fitness and performing for Celtic within the next few games.
In other news, Celtic goal hero Taylor gives players’ insight into Hearts VAR mayhem.
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