Jota return news arrived yesterday, and it came with real weight. The winger returned to bounce-game action for Celtic after eighteen months on the sidelines with a devastating ACL injury. Chris Sutton, writing in his Record Sport column, put it simply: “The Portuguese star took another step towards his long-awaited return yesterday by featuring in a bounce game after 18 months on the sidelines.”
Sutton kept the celebration in check. “Jota is back. Or at least he’s getting there,” he wrote. It is a fair summary of where the Portuguese forward stands right now. Supporters who followed Jota’s bounce-game return will recognise that caution; a serious injury like this rarely ends after one training match.
Sutton went further, adding: “I’m sure Martin O’Neill won’t rush him.” That line frames everything else in his column. It is the clearest signal yet that Celtic plan to bring Jota back in careful stages, not throw him straight into contention.
What Sutton’s strongest XI reveals
Record Sport asked Sutton to name his strongest Celtic XI, and the exercise says as much about the squad’s current problems as it does about Jota. His full reasoning, set out in the original Sutton column, picks a side built on present form rather than reputation.
In goal, Sutton goes for Sinisalo ahead of Sam Johnstone. His reasoning is blunt: Johnstone was really poor at Ibrox, a result Celtic are still feeling after the latest derby defeat. At right back, Sutton expects Johnston back this month, calling Johnston a Canada World Cup star who adds real quality once he is fit.
Centrally, Sutton is more cautious about Carter-Vickers. Carter-Vickers has not had a great start to the season, and Sutton says he needs time to get back up to speed after a long lay-off. He also sees Trusty as weaker in the air than the more versatile Irish defender, while Kieran Tierney earns credit as a steady performer at left back.
The numbers and the selection logic
Further forward, the picture gets more interesting. Sutton notes that Landon Emenalo will eventually be fit, though he will not say when. Celtic’s captain, in Sutton’s view, has lost some of the dynamism and legs that once defined his game, a sign of age catching up rather than a drop in effort.
Celtic’s new German signing gets a mixed verdict too. Sutton describes the German signing’s start as tidy and composed, but says he can look lightweight in physical battles, even after a couple of goals and an international debut. Nygren offers a different kind of output: 26 goals and 15 assists, numbers Sutton clearly rates highly. Sutton also praises the South Korean international in the squad, saying he works hard and is brilliant defensively.
Up front, Sutton’s logic gets specific. He floats Duran as a possible No.10 but insists Celtic need him through the middle as a central striker. The Egyptian winger offers something different again: real pace and directness, with the ability to go past his marker in a straight race.
Jota himself is not immune from scrutiny. Sutton says he sometimes lacks quality with his final ball and needs to track back more, which matters for how soon Celtic can lean on him. It is a reminder that the Jota return will take genuine match fitness, not just squad numbers, before he starts changing games again.
What O’Neill does next
All of this lands on O’Neill’s desk at once. Sutton’s column makes clear he won’t rush Jota, and the thinking behind his strongest XI explains why patience matters elsewhere too: Johnston is still recovering, Carter-Vickers needs time, and Emenalo’s return date is unknown.
The timing is awkward. Celtic have a run of fixtures coming up, starting with the game set out in the Hearts preview, and O’Neill cannot simply wait for every injury to clear before picking a team. He has to balance Sutton’s preferred shape against what is actually fit and sharp week to week.
Expect a gradual approach with Jota rather than a sudden recall. Sutton’s wider assessment suggests O’Neill already has decisions to make at goalkeeper, right back and up front, regardless of when Jota is ready to start. The sensible path is to build his minutes slowly, in training first and then off the bench, until the medical staff and O’Neill agree he can handle a full ninety.
