On Wednesday, Celtic’s woeful injury story this season continued to go from bad to worse, as Interim manager Martin O’Neill confirmed that Jota will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Speaking to the media, O’Neill provided Celtic fans with the worst possible outcome instead of their hopes, as he stated that Jota will likely not play for Celtic again until the Summer.

Jota has not appeared for Celtic since suffering a serious knee injury in an away match against Dundee United back in April of last year.

O’Neill knew that the injury was serious; however, in recent weeks, there were some who were cautiously optimistic about Jota possibly returning late in the 2025-26 season to provide Celtic with some type of boost on the wing.

Those hopes have also come to an end.

“Obviously, I’d like to bolster the squad,” O’Neill stated on Celtic TV. “I don’t see, for instance, in terms of the long-term injuries, I don’t see Jota being back this season.”

For a Celtic team which has spent most of the season fighting fires, the long term loss of Jota is just one more blow to take.

As one of the few players who have consistently shown the ability to create opportunities for Celtic on the attack, Jota’s absence has been especially felt during a horrendous run for the club.

When Jota re-signed with Celtic, many believed that his quality along with his experience with the team could bring a level of consistency and creativity.

However, after a promising start to his second stint at Celtic it was the day they clinched the league against Dundee Utd at Tannadice that would effectively take him out of the game for a year.

However, O’Neill did deliver a glimmer of hope elsewhere. He indicated that Alistair Johnston may still return to action before the season concludes.

“I think that Alistair Johnston would probably make a fight back, and he’s hoping to be maybe sometime in March, and that would be great if that’s the case.

“But the longer-term injuries, I don’t see it.”

While Johnston remains a viable option for Celtic down the stretch, Jota has been placed squarely in the category of longer-term injuries per O’Neill.

It not puts emphasis on Celtic to go and get a wide player knowing Jota won’t be an option.