Jota has returned to light first-team training at Celtic after a 16-month injury nightmare and Shaun Maloney has shared the club’s carefully managed plan for the winger’s comeback
Celtic may be poised to sanction the signing of a new wide player.
But Shaun Maloney believes Jota will be like a fresh acquisition when he eventually completes his much-anticipated return to action.
The Portuguese winger has made significant progress after resuming light training with the first-team squad following a gruelling 16-month spell on the sidelines through injury.
He may soon be accompanied by Real Oviedo’s Haissem Hassan, with the Hoops nearing an opening £6million agreement for the Egypt international who featured at the World Cup.
Jota has been absent since suffering a serious ACL injury back in April 2025 and faces several more weeks of rehabilitation before he’s ready for match action again, reports the Daily Record.
Manager Martin O’Neill had previously cautioned supporters against expecting the 27-year-old’s availability until approximately Halloween.
Yet Maloney remains optimistic that Jota can surpass that projection – and recapture the dazzling performances that once commanded a £25m valuation.
He said: “Yeah, definitely. It might take a bit of time and hard work. He’s definitely putting in the hours. He looks really strong. He’s got every chance. I think it might take a bit of time.
“Cameron Carter-Vickers had a really bad injury. He was out for eight or nine months, but he had the full pre-season.
“So, we’ll have to try and do something similar with Jota to give him the best chance. There’s absolutely no doubt that he can do it.”
Regarding the possibility of bringing forward his comeback date, he said: “There is a fair bit to this. It’s one thing coming back to training this week with no contact.
“Then you have to become free in the next few weeks and build up that tolerance to it. We then have to create friendlies for him too.
“By the time you see him on the pitch for the first team, there will have been a few hurdles to get over.
“Hallowe’en or November might not be a million miles away. I would hope that it’s earlier for the guy’s sake, but I’m not really sure when it will be.
“Hopefully it will be quicker because he has accelerated in the last few weeks but I’m not really sure.”
While Jota’s return is being handled with caution, Celtic are pressing ahead with significant investment in reshaping their attacking options.
O’Neill has already committed £17m to an entirely refreshed forward line, bringing in record acquisition Kasper Hogh alongside Camilo Duran at Parkhead.
Hassan, aged 24, looks set to become the latest arrival as the Double-winners maintain their measured yet ambitious recruitment drive.
The thought of Jota linking up with these new signings in a formidable revamped attack will have supporters eagerly anticipating what’s to come.
However, Maloney suggested that right winger Hassan might complete the club’s business in the wide positions for this transfer window.
He said: “On that left side, when Jota comes back, you’ll have Tounekti and Yang. Yang obviously played there in the last game. I really like Yang off the left. Yeah, it’s really strong.
“So, on that left side, when Jota’s fit, we’re really good. On the right side, it’s slightly different.
“We need to replace the profile that we lost in Nicolas Kuhn or the club lost in Kuhn, because when you’ve got that sort of left-footed winger, you can attack differently.”
Maloney understands precisely what Jota is enduring, having sustained the same devastating knee injury during his playing days.
He acknowledges the club needs to exercise patience with the former Benfica academy player as he steadily rebuilds his fitness.
He said: “I think maybe from our side you have to just temper it slightly. I think for Jota himself, I wouldn’t want to stop any sort of positivity because it has been that difficult for him.
“I think it’s just really slowly building him into training. Today he did every drill, but not every drill was contact.
“So, it worked out for him. He’s still going to be a good few weeks, not two or three. It’s a matter of weeks for him to build up, get into training, full contact.
“But it is really positive. I know it’s positive for the boy, it’s positive for us and obviously his support. I’ve never worked with him, but when I’ve watched him, he is very, very good.”
Jota undertook most of his recovery work in his native Lisbon, though Maloney confirmed Celtic’s backroom staff have maintained consistent communication throughout his lengthy recuperation.
He also praised the medical personnel who have supported the winger through one of the most challenging chapters of his professional life. He continued: “The medical team are really important. As can happen in longer injuries, he’s got a really good connection with the physios.
“They’re probably the more important than us. I think constant communication with them has probably helped.
“And the boss as well. I think we’ve all been on Zooms with him when he’s been doing his rehab in Portugal. Fozzy is the most positive guy in the world. He’s been really, really good with him.
“But also Martin. Martin’s been really, really good with him in terms of constantly being in communication.
“That’s all peripheral stuff. I think the main guys that he’s relied on is the physical and the medical team. The medical team and him have really been inseparable.
“They have to take any sort of credit rather than us – every week or once a fortnight speaking to him. These guys have been on daily communication with him. I think the last couple of weeks have been really positive.”
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