Seb Tounekti may have failed to establish himself in the Bodo/Glimt first team during the two years that he spent as a player with the Norwegian champions.
However, he has no regrets about turning down the chance to move to a Bundesliga team in Germany or a Premier League side in England as a teenager and opting to join the Nordland outfit just above the Arctic Circle instead.
The Tunisian internationalist received an eye-opening insight into the standards he would have to attain to make it at the highest level in the professsional game when he was on the books at the Aspmyra Stadium.
"It was a really nice time for me at Bodo/Glimt because I was a young player who was learning a lot,” the £5.2m summer signing said. "[Kjetil] Knutsen was a good coach and I learned a lot under him. We played some European games when I was there. Maybe I didn't play as much, but I was always around the team. To get the experience at a really young age, was really good for me.
“I can reflect on my time at Bodo/Glimt in many ways. Yes, I didn't play as much as I would have like to, but I do feel like I grew as a player when I was there. My journey has been special. I came up as a young boy. I think the key has been hard work.”
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Tounekti also saw how Bodo/Glimt, who reached the Conference League quarter-finals three years ago and made it through to the Europa League semi-finals last term, regularly manage to punch above their weight in Europe.
Celtic fans have savoured the unprecedented spell of domestic dominance the Parkhead club have enjoyed in recent seasons – but supporters of the first British club to lift the European club long to see that success transferred to continental competition.
So what can the Scottish champions, who have Europa League league phase games against Red Star Belgrade, Braga, Sturm Graz, Midtjylland, Feyenoord, Roma, Bologna and Utrecht coming up in the weeks and months ahead, learn from their Norwegian counterparts?
"They have been working really hard for a really long time,” he said. “But the coach has a playing style that everyone trusts and believes in. I think it's the main reason. Everyone knows the role and everyone knows how the coach wants to play. I think it's one of the main reasons why they've been so good.
“But Celtic is a massive club. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to come here. I know there have been lots of good wingers here. I had a good talk with the manager when I came. I'm just really excited to work with him and to improve.
“It's definitely the biggest season for me so far. It's been really good to just enjoy everything. I'm just happy to become a Celtic player and to have the opportunity to play here.”
Tounekti impressed onlookers with his personal performance on his debut for Celtic in their William Hill Premiership match against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday – but he is hoping more is to come.
He admitted that left wing is his preferred position – but stressed he is happy to play anywhere across the front three and has been deployed at striker on occasions in the past.
"I feel like it's only the beginning for me,” he said. “Yes, it was a nice start on Sunday, but I do feel like I have so much more to contribute."
"My strongest position is on the left, but I feel like I can also play on the right. Sometimes when I was in Bodo/Glimt, I played a little bit on the right wing. If the manager wants me to play on the left wing, the right wing or at striker, I will. I will play wherever he wants me to and will try to contribute. "I played once or twice at striker at Bodo/Glimt, but not so much. But I'm an offensive player, so I can play all three positions if that's needed."
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Tounekti, who was signed from Hammerby in Sweden on the final day of the summer transfer window, speaks fluent English and is hopeful that will enable him to integrate into the Celtic squad rapidly.
“My English is not so bad,” he said at Parkhead yesterday as he looked ahead to the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Partick Thistle at Firhill on Sunday afternoon.
“I suppose it helps that I can speak the language and can get to know the boys. It's already been really good in the first few days that I’ve been here. It is a fantastic group, the players have been really good to me. I'm just happy to be here.”
