Stephen Eustaquio played alongside the hard-working frontman at Pacos de Ferreira and expects him to move again after raising his stock on Merseyside
Diogo Jota will not be sticking around at Liverpool, claims his former Pacos de Ferreira team-mate Stephen Eustaquio, with the Portuguese forward being tipped to “go higher”.
There are not many destinations in world football that can be considered a step up from Anfield.
Jota, though, is showing across the early months of his time on Merseyside that he is capable of gracing any side on the planet.
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An immediate impact has been made with the Premier League champions since completing a £45 million ($60m) move from Wolves.
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The Portugal international has hit seven goals through 11 appearances, with that return including a Champions League hat-trick against Atalanta.
Eustaquio is not surprised to see the 23-year-old shining on the grandest of stages and believes he is destined for even bigger and better things in the future.
He told La Vanguardia: “Jota was in Pacos, Atletico Madrid, Porto, Liverpool. He works a lot.
“He is a very hard-working person, very delicate with the ball; he plays a lot.
“He is not going to stay there; he is going to go higher. I shared a dressing room with him, he was captain of the Portugal Under-21 team.”
For now, Jota is happy at Liverpool and tied to a long-term contract, but he has come a long way in a short space of time and Eustaquio believes dedication to any craft will always be rewarded.
“In bad times he [Jota] showed a very strong personality,” the midfielder added. “He is a very humble person and deserves to be where he is.”
While Eustaquio would appear to be suggesting that Jota could link up with the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid at some stage in his career, Liverpool legend John Barnes has claimed that the versatile frontman would not enjoy the same success in La Liga as he has in England.
The Reds icon told BonusCodeBets: “I thought he was a good player for Wolves, I thought he would do well but I don’t think anyone would imagine he’d be doing this well.
“If Jota goes to Barcelona, for example, he won’t go there and score loads of goals or play as well.
“Jota is a fantastic player, but there’s no way that Jota would be able to go to Real Madrid and do the same thing, it’s all down to Jurgen Klopp and finding those players that suit his style.”
