Moritz Leitner has said it was an 'absolute pleasure' to be involved at Norwich City, as he sent supporters a farewell message.
The German midfielder's loan came to its conclusion on Sunday, as Daniel Farke's team slumped to a miserable 5-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the Championship season.
Leitner joined from Augsburg in January having struggled for game time with the Bundesliga club after joining from Lazio last summer for a deal worth around £1.5million.
The former Germany Under-21 international made 12 appearances, 10 of which were starts, but missed a month with a hamstring injury.
As he flew home to Germany to begin his summer break the 25-year-old posted on Instagram to thank the Canaries for getting him back into regular football, having barely played at Lazio the previous season either after his switch from Borussia Dortmund.
Leitner also specifically thanked sporting director Stuart Webber and head coach Daniel Farke for giving him that chance, with the chances of a return next season unclear.
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'I just have to say a very big thank you to the whole Norwich family!' he posted on his @MoLeitner5 account. 'Everybody made it so easy for me, to work and always play with a big smile!
'I really enjoyed every second in Norwich, except my injury, thanks for the confidence of Stuart and the boss to be a part of the Canaries. Thanks to my team-mates, who helped and worked with me on the training ground or in the matches.
'Thanks to everybody in our staff, you did everything brilliantly and I feel great. And of course a big, big thank you to our supporters, you support the team massively at every game.
'Thanks for your love and it was an absolute pleasure to be a part of Norwich City.'
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Leitner won a Bundesliga medal with Dortmund in 2012, featuring regularly as a substitute as a youngster under Jurgen Klopp, and was an unused substitute during the Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich at Wembley the following season. He still has three years remaining on his contract at Augsburg.
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