Norwich City loan export Christos Tzolis says his time at Carrow Road left him missing “the fun of football”.

Tzolis joined the Canaries from Greek giants PAOK in the summer of 2021 for around £9million, inspiring high hopes among City fans as then-sporting director Stuart Webber plotted a Premier League survival mission.

The young winger struggled to make an impact, however, starting just three times and failing to score in the top flight.

He was sent on loan to Dutch side Twente for the following campaign, but returned early to be assessed by new head coach David Wagner.

That was another ill-fated spell in Norfolk, however, and the 21-year-old joined German second tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf in another season-long loan this year.

He’s thrived in the 2.Bundesliga, scoring eight times and assisting twice in 13 appearances so far. Dusseldorf have a multi-million-pound option to make his move permanent, but Tzolis is focused on making sure this season ends in promotion, however, rather than how things may unfold with Norwich.

“The Bundesliga is my big goal, I want to go there 100%,” he told Bild. “You never know what the future will bring, but I feel right at home in Düsseldorf right now. I really like it here.

“The important thing now is to enjoy the next few months with the team, to be a regular player, to help the team with lots of assists and goals and to get even better. I love football. Thanks to Fortuna you can enjoy it again.”

The Greek international, who scored twice for his country’s under-21s this week, says his time in Norfolk had a detrimental impact on that love, and he had to leave to rediscover it.

“Unfortunately in England I didn't have that good feeling,” he continued. “I didn't have the fun of football.

“I rarely played and didn't feel as much confidence as I did here. But even in difficult phases, I receive appreciation at Fortuna and am not left behind.”