The Portuguese winger, recently back from a long-term ACL injury, has made four appearances since his return last month.

However, he was not included for the clash against the Bairns, currently sixth in the Scottish Premiership.

Northern Irishman O'Neill reassured fans about Jota's health, explaining the decision was purely due to the astroturf pitch at Falkirk.

He told Sky Sports: "No, he's just back from the injury, and I think in terms of the pitch, we felt it's best with the type of injury he's recovering from, to leave him."

The match saw Celtic fall behind early, with Ethan Ross scoring for Falkirk in the first three minutes.

At the time of writing, the Hoops are still trailing 1-0.