Jota return edges closer, but talk of that happening for the Motherwell game next Sunday is certainly premature…
Jota is on the verge of making a first team comeback after taking part in a bounce game against Falkirk at Lennoxtown yesterday.
Our 27 year old Superstar from Portugal played 45 minutes of the practice match against the Bairns in what can be classed as a significant step in his long awaited comeback from a serious ACL rupture, and it’s good news that we can all welcome.
This has led many to speculate that the Celtic talisman could be in for a dramatic return to the first team squad when club football resumes after the international break.
That would represent a huge boost to the club giving recent events, but I think we can all agree that the chances of Jota being in with a chance of facing Motherwell at Fir Park a week tomorrow, even a place on the bench is not just slim, but totally unrealistic.
Martin O’Neill noted back in July that Jota would be looking at Halloween as a potential first team return, and with that being just 28 days away, the timescale set by the Irishman seems to be just about right.
Jota will need more than one bounce game to sharpen not just his physical attributes, but his natural ability as a footballer. It’s fair to assume that he’ll be ‘rusty’ having played very little football at all since leaving the field in the 2023 Scottish Cup Final win over Inverness Caley Thistle at Hampden.
A 45 minute run out against basically a Falkirk second string in a kick-about that Celtic won 2-0 will have done him the world of good, but he’s still a few more games away in terms of being considered for a place in the first team squad.
Maybe the home clash with Dundee United on 28th October is a more realistic fixture for a possible Jota return?
Supporters have got to remember that Jota has missed a huge chuck of football, and needs to be carefully assessed before being re-introduced to first team football.
A couple of more practice games in the coming weeks will do him the world of good, but talk of him returning for the Motherwell game is wildly premature.
But Jota’s significant progress is a welcome boost for the entire club and it will be a joy to see him back in action and rediscovering that magic we all know he possesses.
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