Martin O’Neill shares Jota injury update as Celtic star holds talks with surgeon
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has shared some team news ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Dundee today.
Celtic travel to Dundee as O’Neill chases vital three points
The mood around Celtic Park is not what the support had hoped for at this stage of the season.
A 2-0 defeat to Dundee United before the international break — a result that punctuated what had been a period of cautious optimism under O’Neill’s interim stewardship — served as a reminder of just how precarious the title picture remains.
Hearts sit clear at the summit, and while the window has not closed for Celtic, the trip to Dens Park to face Dundee carries a weight well beyond three routine points.
Dundee themselves are a club operating under their own pressures.
Steven Pressley’s side sit eighth in the Premiership table with 32 points from 31 games, holding a five-point cushion above the relegation playoff place — enough for comfort but not enough for complacency.
The Dee head into the final stretch of their regular season campaign desperate to protect that margin while Celtic arrive needing to reassert their title credentials after that Tannadice setback.
Celtic’s recent record in this fixture makes for extraordinary reading — just one defeat in their last 49 meetings across all competitions, although that single blemish did come at Dens Park in October 2025.
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Whatever comfort history provides, O’Neill’s side cannot afford another slip.
Among the absentees listed ahead of kick-off, Jota’s name appears once again — and ahead of Sunday’s game, O’Neill has offered an update on the Portuguese winger that is both concerning in its detail and reassuring in its conclusion.
Jota travels to London for surgeon talks after Celtic setbacks
The 27-year-old suffered an ACL injury at Tannadice back in April 2025 and has been absent for the best part of a year.
It is a rehabilitation that has proved far from straightforward, and O’Neill made that plain when addressing his situation.
“He’s been out for a long time and during his rehab, he’s had a couple of setbacks,” the interim boss explained.
“Just when he thinks he’s going great, he gets a bit of a setback. These types of injuries, you think it’s straightforward and sometimes they’re not and you’re stopped in your tracks when you think you’re going well.”
Most recently, those setbacks prompted a consultation with a specialist.
“He had a consultation with a surgeon down in London a few days ago,” O’Neill confirmed — a trip that underlines the complexity of a recovery that has repeatedly stuttered.
The realistic target now is pre-season, not the title run-in.
“I would be hoping that whoever is going to be in charge of the football club, that Jota would be ready for pre-season,” O’Neill said.
“It has been a fairly lengthy time he’s been out but I have no concerns in a career-threatening way.
“These sorts of injuries, in my day, were career-threatening because they were unusual. Now, there are lots of phenomenal surgeons across Britain, Ireland and Europe. So I don’t see this as being a career-threatening injury. If Celtic fans are worried because of the length of time he’s taken, I’d try and assure them that he will recover from this.”
It is a message of genuine hope delivered against the backdrop of a season in which Celtic have been without one of their most electric attacking talents throughout.
O’Neill also confirmed a further setback for right-back Alistair Johnston, who picked up a fresh problem during international duty with Canada — compounding an injury that has already kept him out since October.
The immediate focus, however, is Dundee on Sunday and a result that keeps the pressure firmly on Hearts.
Celtic cannot afford to allow their title rivals any breathing room, and behind-the-scenes, the Bhoys have been tipped to make a ‘big statement’ by appointing an ex-Premier League gaffer.
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The Old Firm both want him.
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