Journalist Stuart Hodge has questioned why Benfica allowed their forward Jota to join Celtic on loan this season.

What's the latest news involving Jota?

The 22-year-old switched Portugal for Scotland on the final day of the transfer window in August, as he moved to the Hoops on a season-long loan deal.

He has looked right at home from the outset, scoring twice and delivering two assists in his seven appearances across all competitions for Ange Postecoglou's side.

His latest telling contribution came on Sunday, when he netted the winning goal with six minutes to go, handing Celtic a much-needed 2-1 victory over Aberdeen to keep them within six points of league leaders, Rangers.

What has Hodge said about Jota?

Hodge has liked what he's seen so far from Jota, but has admitted that he does wonder whether Benfica have seen something in the forward that they aren't convinced about, and that is why they were happy to let him spend the season at Parkhead.

Talking to GIVEMESPORT about Jota, Hodge said: “What I asked myself is: ‘if he’s that good, why are Benfica loaning him out?’ That’s where my scepticism comes in.”

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Is Hodge right to be sceptical about Jota?

Jota is only just over a month into his Celtic career, and so far he has hardly put a foot wrong. According to WhoScored, he has been the second-best player still on Celtic's books this season in Scotland's top-flight as he has received an average game rating of 7.54 - only Anthony Ralston (7.87) has earned a higher mark.

He could hardly have wished for a better start, and Benfica may well be regretting allowing him to leave the club on a temporary basis. Then again, they don't seem to be missing him too much as they currently sit top of the Portuguese league, and they could feel that they made the right decision in giving Jota the green light to gain some experience elsewhere before returning to them better than ever next year.

On the flip side, there is always the concern that the winger is experiencing a purple patch at the moment, and his performance levels could dip at some point. Young players do tend to drift in an out of form more regularly than their experienced counterparts, and that could turn out to be the case with Jota.

The next few months should tell us whether Jota is truly the real deal, or if he does have limitations to his game which Benfica spotted, and Celtic could soon discover.