Martin O’Neill has explained why Jota was withdrawn at half-time during Celtic’s 1-0 win over Kilmarnock, revealing the winger was already tiring before the interval.

O’Neill had already made clear before kick-off that the Portuguese winger was unlikely to complete the full game, but his post-match comments provided more detail on how Celtic managed his return.

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Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, O’Neill said: “I didn’t expect Jota to play much more than the half because that was the starting.”

He then went into greater detail when asked about Jota at his post-match press conference by The Celtic Way.

“I maybe thought he might get 60 minutes in the game, but he was really tiring in the last 10 minutes before half-time.”

O’Neill also revealed what he had told Jota before kick-off.

“I said to him before the game, ‘I don’t expect you to go the whole way, I want to see how it is at half-time.’”

That gives a clearer picture of the decision.

O’Neill had considered giving Jota around an hour, but the winger’s fatigue during the closing stages of the first half led Celtic to make the change at the interval.

Jota still showed flashes of what he can bring during his 45 minutes on the pitch.

He looked to attack Kilmarnock from the left, delivered a dangerous cross for Kasper Høgh and made runs beyond the defence as Celtic gradually took control.

There were also understandable signs of rust after such a long spell without starting a competitive match.

The decision to replace him was consistent with Celtic carefully building his match fitness rather than any indication of a fresh injury issue.

For Jota, though, the main step was getting through his first start since April 2025.

O’Neill’s comments confirmed the half-time withdrawal was broadly expected, while his answer at the press conference showed that Celtic had initially considered pushing him closer to the hour mark.

His next challenge will be building from those 45 minutes when Celtic return from the international break.

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