Teemu Pukki insists he has nothing to prove as he prepares to return to Scotland with HJK Helsinki. The 36-year-old striker scored a crucial equaliser in the first leg of their Conference League tie against Motherwell, and now looks ahead to the second leg at Fir Park.
Reflecting on Celtic spell
Pukki spent two years at Celtic from 2013, but his time in Glasgow did not go as planned. He admitted that the move probably came too soon in his career, saying: "I still enjoyed my time over there. Obviously, it didn't go as well as I hoped. I think it was a wrong time. I was too young and shy at the time. It was a huge club and the pressure over there was maybe a bit too much for me."
He added: "I think if I would have made the move later on in my career, it would have been a different story but there are no regrets. It still helped me to do whatever I did after that time in my career."
Return to Scotland
Now with HJK, Pukki is focused on helping his team progress in the Conference League. He said: "I'm not going there to prove anything to anyone. I'm trying to help the team to go through from this leg. It will be nice to be back in Scotland."
The Finnish international, who later found success with Norwich City, believes his difficult spell at Celtic made him more prepared for his return to English football. He acknowledged: "I think I was for sure more ready when I came back to England because of what happened or how my time in Celtic went. So yes, I think every—I wouldn't say step down - but the things when they don't go your way, it helps. At least it helped me in the future or later on in my career."
Still a game-changer
Pukki came off the bench to equalise against Motherwell, showing he can still make a difference. He said: "Yes, obviously really pleased. I was really pleased to help the team when we were down 1-0. European games are special. I'm happy to score whenever, but to help the team come back to 1-1 and now it's all open for the second leg. Hopefully, we can perform even better there. I think that's needed next week if we want to go through."
Now in the twilight of his career, Pukki is enjoying being back home in Finland. He added: "Obviously, being back home is nice. I had quite a long journey abroad, so being back home is nice. I'm trying to enjoy it. I know there's not much time left anymore, so I try to enjoy it as much as I can."
