Jota has opened up on the emotional toll of spending 533 days on the sidelines after making his long-awaited Celtic return against Motherwell.

The Portuguese winger received a tremendous reception when he came off the bench during Celtic’s 2-0 victory at Fir Park last weekend.

It was his first competitive appearance in 18 months and also marked Jota’s 100th game for Celtic.

For the full picture on who is fit, see the latest Celtic injury updates.

His return represented the end of a gruelling rehabilitation process following the cruciate ligament injury he suffered against Dundee United in April 2025.

Jota was initially expected to miss around nine months, but a setback required further surgery and ruled him out for the remainder of last season.

The winger has now revealed that he has almost completely erased the day of the injury from his memory.

Speaking to Celtic’s YouTube channel, Jota explained that football can easily be taken for granted when players are accustomed to training and competing every day. Once that was suddenly removed, he was left feeling empty.

“It’s just like blurred.

“I don’t know if it’s just like a psychological and mental response to erase that day.

“The hardest part is that there’s a part of yourself that goes away and you never know when it’s going to come back.

“We grew up with this feeling that football is just granted to us every day, and once it goes away, then you just feel empty with no floor.

“Then it’s still a long process once you go training, there’s a lot of stuff to do, but every day you get one per cent better, and that’s enough for you to go home and sleep well.”

That hard work finally paid off at Fir Park.

Although Jota was aware of the travelling support singing his name, he admitted that he was completely focused on the action after entering the game.

It was only afterwards, when he watched footage of the reception, that he fully appreciated the reaction from the Celtic fans.

The challenge now is to build his match fitness gradually.

Jota had played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors game against Falkirk before returning against Motherwell, but competitive football presents a very different physical test.

He will hope to remain in contention for another place in Martin O’Neill’s matchday squad this weekend when Celtic hosts Hearts.

There were understandable questions over what version of Jota would return after such a serious injury and an extended absence.

The winger has already answered the most important one by successfully making it back onto the pitch.

Regular starts and consistent contributions cannot be expected immediately after 533 days away. Celtic must manage his workload carefully and allow him to rediscover his sharpness without placing unrealistic expectations upon him.

Simply seeing Jota back in green and white represents a considerable achievement. The first major step has been taken. His focus can now turn towards becoming an influential Celtic player once again.