The Nigerian striker has scored in each of his last seven league matches, after not quite doing enough at Anfield as a youngster
Nottingham Forest are sitting down in 14th after the first three rounds of fixtures in the Premier League season, having narrowly avoided an immediate return to the Championship in 2022-23. Steve Cooper’s men lost 2-1 at Arsenal on the opening weekend, and although they bounced back with a home win over newly-promoted Sheffield United, Manchester United brought them crashing back down to earth on Saturday.
United came back from two goals down to beat Forest 3-2 at Old Trafford, making their numerical advantage count following Joe Worrall’s 67th-minute red card. It won’t get any easier for the Reds either, with games against Chelsea and Manchester City on the cards in September.
But there is still plenty of cause for optimism at the City Ground – mainly because of the form of Taiwo Awoniyi. The 26-year-old has three goals from three games this term, while if we continue his run from the end of the last season, he has netted nine in seven, scoring in each one of those games. There are few better instinctive finishers in English football right now.
Fitness struggles restricted Awoniyi’s impact in his debut campaign at Forest, but he now looks primed and ready to help them push for a mid-table berth. It’s been a remarkable journey for a man whose career in English football looked all but over when he was sold by Liverpool just two years ago.
Arrival in England
Awoniyi learned his trade at the Imperial Soccer Academy in his native Nigeria, and was quickly earmarked as a future star. “His mental attitude stood out. Taiwo played like his life depended on it. He had that never say die attitude,” academy co-founder Atiba Bankole told First Time Finish in 2021.
He went on to earn a place in Nigeria’s Under-17s squad for the 2013 World Cup, and inspired the Super Eagles to glory alongside the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfried Ndidi. Awoniyi scored four goals at the tournament, attracting attention from top European clubs in the process.
Liverpool won the race for the forward’s signature two years later, snapping the then-18-year-old up for just £400,000. “This is the biggest club in the world and I’m privileged to be here,” Awoniyi told the club website at his unveiling. “When I’m in the red shirt, I will always give my very best to make the fans happy.”
GINJAH PLUS 