The Portuguese star faces some time in the football wilderness with his big money move going pear shaped.
Jota has been excluded from Al-Ittihad's Saudi Pro League squad just two months after joining from Celtic, according to reports.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have made the call in the aftermath of their return to domestic action at Al Akhdoud, which resulted in a 1-0 away win thanks to Karim Benzema's strike. Clubs in the big-spending division in the middle-east are allowed a maximum of eight foreign players in their ranks and Jota's future was thrown into doubt as they pursued Liverpool hero Mo Salah, but ultimately failed to land the Egyptian.
But they did sign Luiz Felipe from Real Betis and the Italian international made his debut from the start, and forced Jota further into the wilderness. Celtic sold the Benfica youth academy product for £25m after two trophy-laden campaigns in Glasgow but the move has gone sour instantly despite last ditch attempts to leave. Now, according to reports in Saudi, Jota will be excluded from the squad and can now only feature in the AFC Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Fenerbahce have been linked with taking the winger away from the mess but the Turkish window shuts on September 15th, so it would appear more likely that Jota is in cold storage until January. He's made five sub appearances in the Saudi Pro League, scoring just one goal. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
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