Craig Burley has admitted that his decision to leave Celtic had been a heartbreaking one. The Scottish midfielder joined Derby in a £3 million deal this afternoon but insisted that the final decision to move had been his.
Burley joined Celtic in the summer of 1997 from Chelsea for £2.5 million after falling out with Ruud Gullit, who found no place for him in the FA Cup final win over Middlesbrough. His first season at Parkhead saw Celtic claim both the Scottish League Cup and the Premier Division title under Wim Jansen, with Burley receiving the Football Writers' Player of the Year prize.
Speaking about the move, Burley said, 'At no point did John Barnes say I wouldn't play. As far as I was concerned, I would play away until I was told otherwise. But things move on and it was totally my decision to move on. And I felt it was the right time for me, at 28, to try a new challenge back in England.'
