Jota can't avoid unsettling Ittihad desire as Celtic hero finds out brutal truth about transfer faint praise

It was a surprise to many to see Jota earn a 23-minute cameo for Al-Ittihad after a week when it appeared he would never feature again.

The Celtic hero left Parkhead adulation for Saudi millions earlier this summer but he has been left in a tailspin as the SPL champions appear set to cut ties amid their fascination with securing Mo Salah as their latest marquee arrival. From potentially being released as a free agent to linking up with Steven Gerrard at Ettifaq – Jota's name has been at the centre of much speculation this week. But if he was hoping for a rousing response from his boss after his unexpected appearance then he was met with a stock answer.

Nuno – speaking about the £25m man – said: "All players are important to us. Every player who plays at any moment is valuable to us. All players are waiting for their chance, and the most important is the group and the way we play."

The former Wolves boss was not effusive in his praise and it came after Jota couldn't miss multiple Al-ittihad fans in the crowd wearing Mo Salah masks. It was a strange site as the live broadcast appeared to be on Mo watch in the crowd as much as the live action during the 4-0 pasting away to Al-Riyadh.

But if Ittihad reckon they will land Salah this window then no one told Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp who came out swinging during his Friday press conference. He said: "There's nothing to talk about from our point of view, Mo Salah is a Liverpool player, if there would be something the answer would be no."

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