Teemu Pukki is irreplaceable, and David Wagner is urging Norwich City fans to give him the send off he deserves.

Pukki will bow out on Monday at Carrow Road in the Championship finale against Blackpool on what Wagner predicts will be an occasion full of emotion for Pukki and his family.

The prolific striker piled up the goals and the awards, along with two Championship title winner’s medals, to leave a legacy as one of the best modern-day players in the club’s history.

“I know that everyone is keen, especially our supporters, to give him the send off he deserves for the legacy he built here,” said Wagner, who confirmed Pukki will start against the Seasiders. “A lot of people will only realise it the longer he has gone from the football club and time passes.

“His achievements will grow and what he did was outstanding. You can only imagine how big this moment is if you were in a situation like this before. Five years is a very long time in football, and five years like he had, in terms of the success and the footsteps which he made here in Norwich, and in English football as well.

“He’s a stand out character and player as well. He will start on Monday, for sure. Our aim is to give him the appreciation he deserves. From the backroom staff and the players we want to do everything to make this his afternoon.

“I am sure it is going to be quite emotional for him on Monday, and the days after.”

Pukki will also be a huge loss in the changing room.

“He speaks Spanish well, he speaks English. He’s Scandinavian, which helps Lunghi (Jacob Sorensen), so he has quite a personality in terms he can talk to many different groups,” said Wagner. “He’s not a loud speaker in the dressing room, but always a very likeable person. You can have a chat with him not only about football but about other things as well. He will be missed, 100pc.

“We all together know that he deserved to make a decision for the next step in his life. And this is why we really backed his decision a few weeks ago, when he said he likes to move on and likes to search for another challenge.”

The City chief stayed tight-lipped on Pukki’s potential next move at Colney on Friday. Wagner insisted the well-travelled Finn was never on his transfer radar but did recall Pukki scoring in a pre-season friendly against his Schalke side back in 2019.

“Obviously, I had a few conversations with him about it, and I will say nothing about our conversations,” he said. “But whoever he will join, and whoever the manager is, I only can say congratulations to the football club and to the manager who he works with in the next season. It will be quite interesting as well where he will end up.

“He’s super clever, has a very good touch and has all range of finishes to be fair. He’s a handful, a top striker.

“We played against each other in pre-season friendly and this was the only moment where we have seen each other before, or I’ve seen him, I don’t know if had ever seen me but he was never one of our my targets.”