Jota misses rest of season, never-ending bad news for Celtic

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The Celtic Star

·14 de janeiro de 2026

Jota misses rest of season, never-ending bad news for Celtic

Jota is expected to be out for the rest of the season, in a season of never-ending bad news for Celtic…

Jota of Celtic celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill delivered the update earlier yesterday afternoon, acknowledging that the winger’s recovery has not progressed as quickly as initially anticipated, and in his written mainstream press briefing after speaking to the broadcast media he expanded on this saying Jota needs keyhole surgery to rectify an issue that developed following his initial operation.

Vídeos OneFootball

The Portuguese fans-favourite has been sidelined since suffering significant ACL knee damage during last April’s title-clincher with Dundee United at Tannadice. The prognosis for an ACL tends to be a season long absence so Jota is going to overrun that as indeed did Celtic FC Women stalwart Chloe Craig.

Celtic’s Chloe Craig after her surgery for an ACL injury. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)

At one stage, club staff believed Jota could be in contention for returning to first-team action by February, potentially allowing him to feature during the closing stretch of the 2025/26 season. That though seemed optimistic and with the further set-back Jota’s target should be to get himself fit ad ready for pre-season.

That earlier optimism has now been tempered, with O’Neill indicating that a summer comeback is the more realistic target – a development that yet more terrible news in a season full of them.

Arne Engels and Nicolas Kuhn look on as Jota receives treatment. Dundee United 0 Celtic 5 at Tannadice Park on April 26, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Speaking at the media conference via Celtic’s official YouTube channel, O’Neill said: “Obviously, I’d like to bolster the squad. I don’t see, for instance, in terms of the long-term injuries, I don’t see Jota being back this season.”

“I think that Alistair Johnston would probably make a fight back, and he’s hoping to be maybe sometime in March, and that would be great if that’s the case. But the longer-term injuries, I don’t see it.”

Jota is assisted by Reo Hatate. Celtic Champions 2025. Dundee United v Celtic, 26 April 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

When asked about a transfer update, O’Neill responded: “Nothing has changed really, even when I’ve been out of the game. The January transfer window is pretty difficult.”

“Because unless you’ve identified a player that you absolutely know is going to improve your team, and that you’re prepared to spend money on him, I think it becomes more difficult.”

“I’m stepping in here. I think I might have said to you a couple of weeks ago that the new manager would have wanted to have the January transfer window so that he could identify players for his particular system.”

“Now, we are genuinely working really hard in the background, so there’s no impediment in that sense. It’s just trying to get some people in that we think could help us now, at least, until the end of the season.”

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