Martin O’Neill delivers Jota update after leaving Celtic star out against Falkirk

Celtic winger Jota has endured a difficult journey back to fitness after spending more than a year out of action with a serious knee injury.

The Portuguese attacker has recently returned to the Celtic matchday squad and made appearances on the pitch, but he was missing when the Hoops travelled to face Falkirk on Sunday.

Martin O’Neill explained to Sky Sports that Falkirk’s artificial playing surface played a major role in his decision not to include Jota for the Scottish Premiership fixture.

With Jota absent, Callum Osmand was handed a starting role on the left wing, while Sebastian Tounekti returned to the matchday squad after being left out in recent weeks.

Why Celtic decided against risking Jota

Artificial pitches have been a talking point in Scottish football for some time, with these surfaces set to be phased out of the top flight by the summer of 2027.

Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park was one of the most prominent venues still using an artificial surface, but the club has already begun playing on natural grass. Falkirk, meanwhile, continue to use their synthetic pitch during what is expected to be its final season.

Given Jota’s recent return from a lengthy knee injury, O’Neill was unwilling to take unnecessary risks with the winger on a surface that could potentially cause complications during his recovery.

Explaining the decision, the Celtic manager said Jota was feeling well but suggested that the playing surface made it sensible to leave him out.

“No, he is well; he’s just back, obviously, from injury,” O’Neill said. “I think, in terms of the pitch, it would be best; with the type of injury he is recovering from, it might be best to leave him.”

Jota gradually building up his fitness

There has been no indication that Jota has suffered another injury setback. Instead, his omission appears to have been a precautionary measure designed to protect him as he continues his comeback.

Since returning to action, the forward has shown encouraging signs and looked lively in his appearances for Celtic.

His workload has been managed carefully, however, with his fitness gradually increasing rather than immediately being pushed into a starting role.

O’Neill’s decision to leave Jota out against Falkirk suggests Celtic are keen to avoid jeopardising his recovery as he works towards regaining full match fitness.