Jair Tavares here to impress as Hibs new boy reveals pal Jota's role in Scotland switch

Jota enjoyed a stellar debut season in the country’s top flight last term, scoring 13 goals and bagging 14 assists in 40 games on loan at Celtic from Benfica.

He is expected to sign a permanent deal with the Hoops, pitting him against his childhood friend when they face the Capital club.

"I didn’t play with him, but I trained with him. He’s two years older than me and was a legend in the Benfica academy,” Tavares says, speaking at Hibs’ summer training camp in the Algarve and revealing that the duo have been mates for at least a decade.

"He was like me, didn’t have the chance to play at Benfica. We had to look to the future because of this.

“He did amazing last season and I’m here to support him too. There are two Portuguese players in Scotland, we’re here to represent our country as well.”

Unsurprisingly, Jota was on hand to give Tavares the low-down on the Scottish game when the Easter Road side came calling – and he only had good things to say.

“He gave me some good advice, told me some good things about Hibs,” Tavares explains.

“He said besides Rangers and Celtic he thought Hibs was more or less the third strongest team in Scotland.

“He helped me so much to decide to come here. He told me in Scotland football isn’t like the rest of Europe.

“He said it’s more intense, more physical. In the rest of Europe it’s maybe a bit more technical, so players like me and him can have big fame and a good trajectory and it’s why we come to Scotland.”

Make no mistake, though: Tavares may respect his friend’s rise to the top, but there will be no room for sentiment this season.

"I admire him, I love the way he plays, I’m here to support him, and I’m glad to see the way he’s doing his stuff,” Tavares continues.

“But I’m here too. He has to know that, and everyone needs to know I’m here too.

“He’s my friend and I’ve known him for a long time, but I hope this season when we play against him we win.

“Everyone knows he is a machine but we are here to stop him.”

It wasn’t just Jota’s influence, however, with Hibs manager Lee Johnson also playing a crucial role in convincing the wideman to leave his homeland in a bid to kickstart his career.

"I’ve been at Benfica since I was six years old – that’s 16 years – and never played for another club, so moving here is a big step,” he admits.

“I had a lot of options. The most important part was the coach who convinced me to come to Hibs. He gave me a lot of trust.”

Tavares concedes that he didn’t know much about Hibs before joining but has since done his research.

“Everyone I asked told me Hibs are a historical club besides Celtic and Rangers.

“I see this as an opportunity to grow and to improve. I’m so happy to be here, there are no regrets,” he adds.