GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 20: Celtic's Jota celebrates scoring to make it 5-0 with a young fan during a Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Semi-Final match between St. Johnstone and Celtic at Hampden Park, on April 20, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Jota is scheduled to play in a closed doors friendly against Falkirk tomorrow.
The Lennoxtown match will mark a real step up in his return to fitness after 18 months out of action.
Jota has been training with the Celtic first team since the start of August, progressing from training exercises to contact in small sided matches.
Now, halfway through the international break he is ready to take a significant step in his rehab.
In The Celtic Way Stephen McGowan reports:
Jota is set to witness his first Celtic action in 18 months during a specially-arranged Lennoxtown bounce game.
The Parkhead club have fixed up a match behind closed doors against Premiership Falkirk at Lennoxtown tomorrow.
Sidelined since April last year with an ACL rupture Jota’s return is part of a calibrated recovery plan drawn up to restore the £9million Portuguese talisman to first team action in the next month.
The 27-year-old last played in a 5-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice last year when Brendan Rodgers was still the manager.
There has been three changes of manager at Celtic since Jota last played.
As well as the departures of the core of the team such as Arne Engels, Nicolas Kuhn, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Kasper Schmeichel.
The Celtic that Jota is returning to has changed in almost every way with the lack of wingers an obvious issue.
It could be two months before Jota is ready to start back-to-back matches but his return will give the club a quality option on his favoured left wing.
Yang Hyun-jun and Haissem Hassan have featured most so far this season but at his best the former Benfica man is a clear cut above any other winger at the club.
Missed ya fu**in SORELY Jota !