There is no question about Jota’s importance to this Celtic side right now. The Portuguese winger arrived in the summer and has quickly established himself as a regular in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI. In fact, he was probably the standout performer for the Hoops in recent weeks. And thus, they have a massive worry on their hands after he was forced off the pitch in their recent game against Hearts.

Celtic passed their first test without Jota in impressive fashion, getting a 3-0 win against Dundee United. But it is safe to say that there are much tougher tests ahead and everybody at the club must be hoping to see the Portuguese winger back in action as soon as possible.

In that regard, Celtic have been handed a blow. Initially, it was believed that Jota’s injury was not very serious and Anthony Ralson was the major worry out of the three injuries that the Hoops suffered against Hearts. But now, things appear to have taken an unexpected twist.

As reported by the Daily Record, Postecoglou told Sky Sports:

“Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston doesn’t look like anything serious. Jota will miss a few weeks.”

Celtic handed Jota injury blow after unexpected twist

Of course, it is great news that Welsh and Ralston did not pick up any serious problems. But at the same time, the news surrounding Jota is worrying.

Now, it remains to be seen when Jota does eventually. But with some huge games coming up, one can only hope that he recovers quickly.

The next big date on the calendar is the Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian, which is set to be played on 19th December.

That means that there are only a couple of weeks left before that game. And if Jota does end up being unavailable, it would be a huge blow to Celtic’s chances of lifting the first trophy of the Scottish domestic season.

This article was originally posted here