They say home is where the heart is.
For everyone connected to Celtic, they will be hoping Roberto Martinez’s assessment of Jota is bang on the money.
The Portugal manager insists the winger looks to have found a place to flourish as he builds on the early stages of his career.
The 24-year-old has been an outstanding signing for the club. Since his arrival almost two years ago, the attacker has 52 goal involvements in 79 outings.
Of course, his first season at Parkhead was on loan from Benfica, but last summer Celtic forked out £6.5million for him, so he does come with a huge weight of expectation in that regard.
Martinez is keen to see one of his international hopefuls continue to develop under Ange Postecoglou’s stewardship in the 'perfect environment,' before he inevitably moves on to earn Celtic a big profit on their investment.
“It's about being consistent,” the 49-year-old explained. “Wide players, players that can make the difference they rely on the service they rely on how their team plays.
“I think what has been very good is that he’s been very consistent with this role. Obviously, you're talking about that position we have players like Joao Felix, Rafael Leao. The position is big in terms of competition for places, but he's evolved immensely.
“When I look back at his time at Benfica and he had his time in Spain, I think he's found home. I think he really suits Celtic and I think it'll be very interesting how he develops in the next few months.
“I think it’s the perfect fit for him, a club like Celtic - big games, being able to play Champions League, it’s made his evolution a very important one.
“Every player fits into a way of playing. The way Celtic are playing, they rely on players with natural talent who can make a difference and take advantage.
“When you can see the confidence that Jota is playing at the moment, then he can come up with moments like the goal against Rangers, a header, that's very unusual! He's just been in the right place at the right time, and I think it shows you that he's playing with confidence.
“That is down to the environment that the manager has created. It is the perfect environment for Jota to carry on developing.”
Asked directly if he watched Jota in action in their recent Scottish Cup semi-final, Martinez added: “I did, yes. You always look at the league and you need rivalry. I think it's great to see Celtic and Rangers challenging each other.
“You look at the beginning of this season, both teams involved in the Champions League and we cannot underestimate this. Obviously as a neutral football fan and you're looking from the outside it's great to see Celtic and Rangers being able to produce that sort of games.
“We all know that there is a lot of emotion and there are many aspects, but there were a lot of tactical aspects that were very interesting to look at from the outside.
“I thought Jota maintained a very consistent role within the game and he came up with a big moment. So I was, as a Portuguese national team manager, delighted.”
Jota has yet to earn a full international call-up for his country, although he has represented them at every youth level.
A lot of skeptics state that some Celtic and Rangers players are disadvantaged on the international front because of the domestic league they ply their trade.
Recency shows us there probably is an element of truth to this, with Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu electing not to pick either Premiership play of the year contenders Kyogo or Reo Hatate for his national team squads for the World Cup or in the fixtures earlier this year.
While Martinez insists this will not go against Celtic winger Jota, he does want to see him get more action on the European stage, pointing out a staggering statistic about Portugal’s embarrassment of riches when it comes to selecting players.
He said: “When you are the national team coach, you need to be very neutral and try to measure all the players equally.
“In European football for many reasons, the Champions League detects a lot of things. I think it sets the tempo of what the national teams can do. It dictates the levels that our teams can reach.
“Obviously the players need to be measured at that level. Portugal has a population of 10.3 million people; we've got 82 players playing in the top five leagues. You can see the players they play week in, week out, and season after season, in the Champions League.
“They reach almost a level of competition that helps them for international football. So I was delighted when Jota was involved in the Champions League this season and then having a big role in a club like Celtic can only help him.
“I went to meet every one of the 26 players who were on the list for Qatar. They were all over the world. Then there is a group of players like Jota who have exceptional talent and they are on the wings. These are players we have been following very closely.
“He’s absolutely got the potential for being in the national team. But it doesn’t mean that because Jota is playing in Scotland he’s not going to have the same chances.
It’s very difficult to make the best team from the best 23 or 26 players. You need to bring in the players that make the best team. That’s where you highlight the quality of the individual where they can fit into the structure that you want.
“It’s true Champions League football is the biggest competition not just in Europe but in world football. When you participate in it you have a direct relationship with what level you bring in international football.”
