Bosun Lawal was once tipped for big things when he made the move to Celtic from Watford in July 2021.

But the 21-year-old ended up featuring predominantly for the club’s ’B’ team and spent last season out on-loan with Fleetwood Town. 

He impressed in EFL League One, making 46 appearances and earned a £2million switch to Stoke City during the summer transfer window.

Lawal confessed that he would’ve liked to have make more of an impression on Celtic’s first team, having previously signed a contract running until June 2026.

He also shed light on the fact he’d been carrying an injury for some time without it every being picked up by a medical professional.

“I’ve had it for a while without realising and I played with it all through last season,” he told Stoke On Trent Live. 

“I’m happy that it has been identified now and it can be sorted and I can get to my best for the long-term, rather than it getting worse. 

Read more: 

“It’s frustrating of course. Every footballer wants to play but I’m happy that it can be taken care of and I can be my normal self, playing again.

“It’s not affecting my day-to-day life but it’s just something we need to get on top of so I can be at 100 per cent and give 100 per cent for the club.”

Reflecting on why he felt he had to leave Celtic for pastures new, Lawal explained: “Everyone wants somewhere where they can play regularly and just enjoy their football. That’s what I’m looking for and I feel like Stoke is the right club for that.

“I enjoyed my time at Celtic. It’s obviously a massive club.

“I didn’t play as much as I would have liked but I still learned a lot and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been part of that team that won the amount of trophies that they won with some amazing players.”