David Robson 
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Sport
Teemu Pukki has told Sky Sports that he didn’t flourish at Celtic because he was too lazy.
The Finnish international has been in brilliant​ form for Norwich this year – striding towards promotion and being the top scorer in the Championship with 24 goals to his name.
This has come as a surprise to Celtic fans in particular.
With stints at Sevilla and Helsinki, Pukki then joined the Hoops from German outfit Schalke.
To sign for Celtic with those teams on your C.V, it gives you a lot of hope. There were great things expected from Pukki in a Celtic shirt – but he never fully proved himself.
Talking to Sky Sports, Pukki said:
I think we can say it wasn’t the success we were hoping for and it was a hard time for me personally. I started well and got a couple of goals, but then it didn’t go so well and it’s hard to say why.
Pukki spent the 2013/14 season at Celtic and became a Scottish Premiership winner during this time. His performances were nothing special though, with only scoring nine goals in the 37 games he played.
He was criticised by Celtic fans, with claims that his heart wasn’t in it. There was confusion around how the Hoops signed him from Schalke but he just couldn’t prove himself in Scotland.
Pukki has come out and said that it was probably due to him being lazy.
I was probably a bit lazy. I was not doing the defensive work I should have done. When I do defensive work well it always helps my offensive game. That’s been a big change for me.
It seems, since his departure from Celtic to Brondby, Pukki has matured quite a lot, on and off the pitch.
The striker went on to say:
I’m more grown up for sure and probably more professional than I was. Being a father has changed me as well.
When looking back on the short stint in Glasgow, he still doesn’t look back and regret his decision to sign for Celtic, as it gave him valuable experience for his career ahead.
The one year I had there was a really good experience for me. I have good memories and it made me a better player. I got used to the physical play in Scotland and it taught me about some stuff for sure.
