Jota’s former coach Joao Tralhao has revealed that he believes there’s a lot more to come from the Portuguese after finding his “home” at Celtic.
The 41-year-old, who was most recently assistant at Ligue 1 side Monaco, insists that the winger is one of a rare calibre of players who possess the desire to better themselves and that’s just as important as his goals, assists and fancy footwork.
Tralhao has played a leading role in Jota’s journey from Benfica to Glasgow and he has backed the 23-year-old star to shine even brighter under Ange Postecoglou.
“I really know Jota well as I coached him for three complete seasons," he told the Daily Record. "I know him well both as a person and as a player.
"As a person, he has an amazing character. He’s very clever, has football intelligence and is very focused. He knows his goals and that focus was clear from the first moment I saw him. He wanted to reach first-team level as soon as possible.
“It’s not easy to find a young player with focus, intelligence and a willingness to be a hard worker. To find such a talented player with all of those qualities is rare but he’s always had a massive working capacity. He has used all of those factors to become one of the best players in the Scottish league and you have seen that already this season.
“Jota’s talent is unlimited. He can play on the right and on the left and can do everything with both feet. He can cross, he can create and he can dribble. He can shoot and he can score goals - that’s the complete player.
“What you see with Jota is a superior mentality and a focus which makes him a special talent. He sets his goals and works hard to reach them. I’m not surprised he’s adapted so well to Scottish football as I know Scottish football and British football’s reality.
“It’s a demanding environment both in terms of football and technical things but it’s also a different style in terms of mentality. To play in a league like the Scottish Premiership is a change in pace as it’s a very quick style of football.
“You need to have the right mentality to play there and I knew Jota had that mentality. I knew he would succeed so what he’s achieved hasn’t surprised me.
“Celtic are a massive club, it was a huge challenge for him to move there and show the best of himself and he did that last season. He’s at a club with incredible supporters and he’s at a club which has a big name in Europe so you need to be a special talent and have a special mentality to play there.
“Last season he did well, I have no doubt that this season he will do even better and Celtic fans are getting to see that already. I keep a close eye on how he’s getting on and the last few games have been amazing. One goal and four assists in his opening two games are terrific stats for any player. What he’s adding to his game has been really amazing.
“He’s desperate to succeed and I have no doubt he’ll again show himself to be one of the most exciting players in the league and in Europe this season. I have no doubts that he’ll continue to take forward steps in his career. To play abroad is not easy for any player.”
