Celtic needs to give Jota what he needs most. Time.

There is something wonderfully cruel about football. It tempts you into mistakes. The moment a player begins to look like he is nearly ready to return from a long-term injury, the temptation becomes almost unbearable.

We see him training. We hear that he has been back on the grass for weeks. We hear whispers that he could return sooner than expected. Suddenly every Celtic supporter, myself included, starts imagining that glorious moment when Jota pulls on the Hoops again.

Now, listen, Martin O’Neill is not talking about rushing this. His own comments on it could not be clearer. Jota might be “ahead of schedule” but it was, and it remains, a long schedule and he is a way off being near first team action.

But I’ve already read a few people – more than a few – on social media suggesting that with Yang away this might be the perfect time to give Jota some time on the pitch.

Believe me, I want to see him on the pitch. I want it more than I can properly put into words. Jota back at Celtic is one of those thoughts that makes me smile because I remember exactly what he was like when he was flying. The swagger, the confidence, the little movements, the willingness to take a defender on, the crosses, the goals, the assists and that wonderful feeling that something could happen every time the ball reached his feet.

But this is precisely why I am going to say something; Celtic need to leave Jota alone. Not permanently, obviously. Good grief, no.

I want Jota back. But I want him back properly.

And there is a huge difference.

The reports that Jota is getting closer to a return are enormously encouraging. He has been training and progressing through his rehabilitation, and there is now genuine hope that the Portuguese winger could be back on the pitch sooner rather than later.

Wonderful. Fantastic. Brilliant.

But I do not want anybody at Celtic looking at the squad, looking at the fixtures, looking at the fact that Yang has gone away with South Korea and thinking: “Well, Jota is nearly ready, so perhaps we can bring him back now.”

No. Absolutely not. This is exactly the sort of situation where football clubs can become their own worst enemies, because nearly ready is such a dangerous phrase.

A player is nearly fit. Nearly match sharp. Nearly ready to play. Nearly capable of handling the intensity, and suddenly, because there is a problem somewhere else in the squad, that word nearly gets transformed into now.

That is how mistakes happen. That is how setbacks happen.

And that is precisely what Celtic must avoid with Jota.

I do not care how good he looks in training. I do not care if he is flying past defenders in small-sided games. I do not care if he looks like the old Jota. Training is training. Competitive football is something else entirely.

A player returning from a serious cruciate injury needs to rebuild much more than fitness. He needs to rebuild strength, conditioning, sharpness, confidence and trust in his own body. He has to rediscover what it feels like to move at full intensity in competitive situations again. That cannot be rushed because Celtic suddenly have one less winger available.

Yang has gone away with South Korea, and I have to admit that I am going to miss him. There was a time when I was not entirely convinced by Yang. I saw the talent, certainly, but I wanted more consistency and more end product. Yet something has changed. He looks more confident, more aggressive and more purposeful.

His recent performances have shown me a player who is beginning to understand exactly what he can bring to Celtic. Then he scored the winner against St Mirren.

Of course he did.

And now he has gone away on international duty. So naturally the Celtic-supporter brain starts working. “Well, Jota is nearly back…” I can already hear it. As I said, I have read this thought being expressed.

And I understand the temptation because I feel it myself. But Celtic cannot scratch this particular itch. Yang being unavailable does not make Jota ready. Jota’s knee does not know that Yang has gone away. His rehabilitation does not care about our fixture list. His body does not care that Celtic supporters are desperate to see him again.

And it certainly does not care that I am sitting here imagining that beautiful moment when he walks back onto the pitch.

The only question that matters is whether Jota is ready.

Not whether Celtic need him. Not whether we have enough wingers. Not whether there is a particularly important match coming. Whether he is ready.

That has to be the standard. Because I would rather Celtic wait another few months, if that’s what it takes, and get Jota back properly than rush him into action and lose him again. If that means we have to find another solution while Yang is away, then so be it. If that means that when Yang returns we need to rotate between him and Tounetki for now, that’s just what will have to happen to make sure we don’t rush the Portuguese.

This is where Celtic have to show a little patience and a lot of common sense. We are not talking about a player coming back from some minor muscle injury. We are talking about a footballer who has been through a horrendous period in his career.

Jota has already had setbacks.

He has already spent far too much time away from the football pitch. The last thing I want is Celtic turning his return into a race against the calendar. I want the opposite. Let him train. Let him build. Let him regain his sharpness. Let him get used to the physical demands again.

Let him play controlled minutes when the medical and performance teams believe he is ready. Let him come off the bench. Let him gradually increase his workload. Then, eventually, let him start a match when everybody involved is convinced his body is ready for it. Because I do not want the romantic version of Jota’s comeback.

I do not want him thrown onto the pitch because everybody is excited. I do not want him playing because Celtic are short of options. I do not want him being asked to save us because Yang is away. I want the sustainable version.

I want Jota back for the long term.

That is the prize. Not one match. Not one European night. Not one important league fixture. The prize is having Jota fit, confident and available for the important part of the season. Imagine that. Imagine having Jota properly fit, sharp and physically prepared when the really serious games arrive.

That is what Celtic should be working towards.

And when that day comes? Oh, I will be absolutely unbearable.

I can already imagine it.

Jota walks onto the pitch. Celtic Park recognises him. The noise rises. He gets the ball. A defender comes towards him. And suddenly that familiar little bit of magic appears again. That is what I want. I want the Jota who makes supporters sit forward because something might happen. I want the Jota who makes defenders nervous.

I want the Jota who can turn a dull match into chaos with one piece of skill. I want the Jota who plays football with that beautiful mixture of confidence, arrogance and freedom. But I do not want that Jota tomorrow if tomorrow is too soon.

I want him when he is ready.

And this is where, as an English teacher, I find myself becoming rather obsessed with one little word. Nearly. Nearly is an adverb of approximation.

Ready describes a state of preparedness.

They are not the same thing.

You can be nearly ready without actually being ready. And in Jota’s case, that distinction could be absolutely enormous.

So yes, I am excited. Yes, I am desperate to see him back. Yes, I believe his return could give Celtic another extraordinary attacking weapon. And yes, losing Yang makes the temptation considerably stronger. But Celtic must resist it.

We cannot allow the absence of one player to dictate the rehabilitation of another. Yang needs his time away. Jota needs his time to recover. Celtic needs to trust the process.

I know that is not particularly exciting. I know supporters do not like waiting. I certainly do not. I want everything now. I want the goals now, the performances now, the trophies now and, preferably, Jota back now.

But sometimes the cleverest thing a football club can do is absolutely nothing.

So please, Celtic. Do not scratch this itch. Do not rush Jota. Do not turn nearly ready into ready simply because we desperately want him back.

Take the sensible option. Take the boring option. Take the patient option.

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