Celtic winger Jota likely out for season & Welsh could return to Well

Recalled centre-half Stephen Welsh could return to Motherwell before the end of the January transfer window, interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has suggested, while admitting he does not expect injured winger Jota to play again this season.

O’Neill explained that 25-year-old Welsh was brought back as “we could find ourselves in a bit of trouble” if any of his current three central defenders picked up an injury.

It is one of the areas where O’Neill is looking to bolster his squad this month and he believes Celtic’s first signing of the window is “relatively close”.

Welsh has made 17 appearances since joining Well on loan in September, helping Jens Berthel Askou’s side record nine clean sheets and move up to fourth in the Scottish Premiership table.

United States centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers continues to be a key absentee for Celtic and, although Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney can also cover that position, O’Neill views Liam Scales, Auston Trusty and Dane Murray as his current options in the middle.

Asked why Welsh had been recalled, the interim boss replied: “He’s having a really great time at Motherwell and I understand, from a playing viewpoint, that having got himself up and running and doing great, he probably didn’t want that disturbed.

“But there was a cut-off point where we could take him back and then send him back to Motherwell if that was the case. That might happen.

“I must admit I hadn’t realised the number of matches he had played for this club – Champions League matches as well.

“We have three centre-backs at the moment. If anything happened to any of them, we could find ourselves in a bit of trouble.”

O’Neill said that, with captain Callum McGregor missing from central midfield and striker Kelechi Iheanacho also suffering injuries, those were also areas he was looking to bolster.

“I don’t, for instance, see Jota being back this season,” he revealed of the winger who injured his cruciate ligament in April. “I think [right-back Alistair] Johnston will probably make a comeback sometime in March.”

The Northern Irishman only took over for a second interim spell after the sacking of Wilfried Nancy on 5 January, with Paul Tisdale also leaving as the head of football operations.

However, O’Neill was not prepared to blame the fact players might have been initially targeted for the Frenchman’s specific system for the lack of signings.

“I know you are thinking we are halfway through January, but the January transfer window is always pretty difficult,” he said.

“I’d love to blame other people, no, but it’s down to me. We are genuinely working really hard in the background, so there’s no impediment in that sense.

“It’s just trying to get some people in that we think could help us now, at least until the end of the season. I have discarded some, but we are making progress, or we think we are.

“In terms of maybe numbers, we wouldn’t mind getting a few in.”