Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for Jota post-match last night, with the Portuguese winger marking his Celtic Park return with an assist for Daizen Maeda in the second half against Dundee.
Celtic’s superstar from Portugal put the ball on a plate for Maeda to slot home, with Trevor Carson having no chance due to the wonderful pass and excellent finish from Maeda.
Having scored in stoppage time on Sunday against Motherwell at Fir Park in his second Celtic debut, Jota now has a goal and an assist in his first two games back for the Hoops.
With much being made about his lack of game time and sharpness over the last 18 months away from Glasgow, he has shown that even an apparent out-of-sorts Jota is still a class above.
Rodgers reiterated the lack of fitness that Jota has suffered from in Saudi Arabia and France. However, the Irishman sees exactly what he brings to Celtic, with last night being another example.
He said: (RecordSport), “I think he’s (Jota) taken that responsibility now and he sees this as an opportunity because he knows it’s something he has to produce and you have to produce consistently. I’d obviously seen Jota before from the outside looking in and then I’ve seen him train and work but he’s a big player.
“So I can’t wait for him to get up to the level in terms of that football fitness. He’s missed a lot of football, hasn’t played a great deal but he’s a class act. The way he takes the ball, he has a lovely arrogance with the ball.
“But he’s effective. He doesn’t just look a good player, he is a good player. He can beat people and make a pass, make a cross, make a shot and he’s a big talent.
The fact that Jota has been given so much game time so early on shows exactly how highly Rodgers rates him, with match sharpness being the issue. He is beginning to build this up, and with Bayern Munich in a week’s time at Celtic Park, Daizen Maeda is set to miss the game through suspension.
This has certainly sped up the process of getting Jota as close to 100% as possible before the game with Raith Rovers on Saturday night at Celtic Park in the Scottish Cup. Jota may play a part in that game to further boost his fitness ahead of facing Vincent Kompany’s side in the Champions League knockout play-off first leg.
