Liverpool star Diogo Jota can become the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal.

That is according to Jorge Simao, who worked with Jota at Pacos de Ferreira.

Jota was still very young at that stage, but he had caught the eye at Pacos and was eyed by the likes of Atletico Madrid.

Now the 23-year-old is enjoying a great start to life at Liverpool after joining from Wolves this summer.

Speaking to The Athletic, Simao said: "Nobody does what Jota is doing now without having real ambition.

"When he signed for Porto [in 2016], I told a Portuguese website that, for me, Jota would be the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Obviously, that was quite a big claim to make at that time, because Jota had only played for Pacos and had not had a good time at Atletico Madrid.

"When Jota signed for Liverpool, I sent him a message to congratulate him. He replied, five seconds later, with a link to that old article about him and Ronaldo.

"It was the very first thing he sent! He must have had it bookmarked. Incredible! He hadn't forgotten."