After training, I realized I had to leave Liverpool.

Taiwio Awoniyi, a former striker for Liverpool, discusses his time with the Reds, his choice to leave Anfield in 2021, and playing against his former team, Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Taiwo Awoniyi, Naby Keita, and Mohamed Salah train in Austria before the season.

The latest reunion between Taiwio Awoniyi and his previous team, Liverpool, is scheduled to take place on Sunday when Nottingham Forest visits Anfield.

The Nigerian international got off to a strong start to the season, scoring goals in the Tricky Trees’ opening three games before dishing up two assists in a row. After returning with six goals and an assist from Forest’s final six games of the season to help seal their Premier League survival, such a run was only a repetition of what happened at the conclusion of the previous campaign.

But due to a groin injury, the 26-year-old has missed Forest’s previous two games and may be out for another two weeks. As a result, Steve Cooper will be without the striker when they play Liverpool this Saturday.

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In fact, Awoniyi scored the game-winning goal for Forest against the Reds at the City Ground in October of last year. In April, he made his debut at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp’s team defeated the opposition 3-2.

For the striker, who had never played in his six years at Liverpool because he was not given a work visa, that trip was a dream come true. However, after the loss, Awoniyi acknowledges that he experienced conflicting feelings when playing his old team.

He said, “It’s been a long journey.” “Playing at Anfield last season was a dream come true,” he remarked. “It was a mixed feeling, to be honest, because I had probably dreamed of playing there for Liverpool before I left.”

After a series of loans in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, the Reds would sell Awoniyi to Union Berlin in July 2021 for a sum of £6.5 million. However, he would only play in the Bundesliga for one full season until Forest offered him a chance to play in the Premier League.

Following his 20 goals in 43 games for the German team, he would finalize a £17 million transfer to the newly promoted team. With 33 Premier League goals from his current total of 13 goals, Awoniyi has established himself as one of the league’s most productive strikers.

He is still appreciative of his previous team for their part in helping him advance in his career, even if he never played for Liverpool.

I went through all those teams and phases with the intention of returning to the Premier League one day,” he remarked. “It was a difficult journey, but I believe it was worthwhile in the end.”

I constantly say that Liverpool is a family club. You grow as a person in addition to a football player, and Liverpool deserves a great deal of respect for how well they took care of me during my whole absence. I’ll always be appreciative of that.

“It was a really positive and significant time in my life, and it played a major role in my ability to grow as a player and a person.”

Awoniyi trained with the first team and was a member of the camp that traveled to Austria for pre-season training in the summer of 2021 before his permanent departure, despite the fact that he was unable to play competitively for Liverpool.