How Taiwo Awoniyi went from failing to make the grade at Liverpool to the Premier League's most in-form striker at Nottingham Forest

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."

Awoniyi was immediately loaned out to FSV Frankfurt, but didn't make his debut for the club until February 2016. He would only score once in 13 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga for FSV, and couldn't prevent them from suffering relegation to the third tier of German football.

Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen then signed Awoniyi on loan for the duration of the 2016-17 campaign, but he also struggled for consistency in the Eredivisie. The Nigerian ace only found the net twice in 18 games and suffered the pain of relegation once again. Awoniyi subsequently returned to Liverpool, but work permit issues made further loan spells inevitable.

Royal Excel Mouscron were the next club to take a chance on Awoniyi, and he made an instant impact by scoring on his debut in a Belgian Pro League clash against KSC Lokeren. Awoniyi finished the campaign with 10 goals and seven assists to his name in all competitions, and was rewarded with a new long-term contract at Liverpool in July 2018 before being loaned back to Belgium - this time at Gent.

That agreement was cut short early in January 2019, though, as Awoniyi left Gent with no goals from 15 league games. However, he returned to Mouscron for the second half of the campaign and rediscovered his scoring touch, as he hit seven goals in nine matches.

Unfortunately, Awoniyi was still no closer to being granted a work permit that would allow him to kickstart his Liverpool career, as he had been unable to break into the Nigeria senior squad at international level.

"It saddens my heart that it's been difficult to get a work permit for the past four years," he told BBC Sport in April 2019. "At the end of the season, we have to go back to Liverpool to discuss. Everyone knows the importance of the work permit and how it works, and that you'd need to play for your national team.

"If you don't get a chance with your national team then it becomes difficult to get it. Personally, I chose Liverpool because I would love to play in the English Premier League for Liverpool. If God says it will happen then it will, but if not then I can only go on with my life and career."

Awoniyi was sent out on loan for the sixth time in the space of four years when Mainz came calling in August 2019, and his fortunes did not improve at the Mewa Arena. After scoring just once in his first 11 Bundesliga appearances, Awoniyi was hospitalised after suffering a severe concussion during a 1-0 home loss against Augsburg. He made a full recovery, but did not feature again for Mainz.

It turned out to be seventh time lucky for Awoniyi, who got a second chance in Germany in 2020-21. Union Berlin had been promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever a year earlier, and brought Awoniyi in on loan in a bid to push for a top-half finish.

The Liverpool man had the desired impact despite dealing with a string of niggling injuries, as he recorded five goals and four assists in the Bundesliga, helping Union secure a seventh-place berth and qualification for the Europa Conference League.

Awoniyi joined the Liverpool first-team squad for a pre-season training camp in Austria ahead of the 2021-22 season after finally being granted a UK work permit, but Union moved to bring him back to Germany on a permanent basis.

Jurgen Klopp gave the green light for the switch, and Awoniyi was grateful to have the support of the Reds' head coach. "It was my first pre-season training camp with Liverpool when the offer from Union came in," he recalled in an interview with the Daily Mail earlier this month. "Jurgen Klopp told me, 'I think it's good for you, Taiwo, because if a club is really pushing for you then it shows how much they believe in you.'

"Those words really stuck with me. He is someone I really respect a lot. When I was out on loan he would always keep in touch with me."

Union bought Awoniyi outright for £6.5m in July 2021, with Liverpool successfully negotiating a 10 percent sell-on clause in the deal. He didn't make a single senior appearance across his seven years with the Reds, who were soon left wondering what might have been.

Awoniyi finally began fulfilling his immense potential during his second season at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, though, as he hit 20 goals in all competitions while also laying on five assists. Union finished fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Europa League, and also enjoyed a run through to the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.

Nigeria handed Awoniyi his maiden call up in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Central African Republic, and he went on to lead the line for his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Cooper oversaw an extensive squad overhaul after Forest's successful promotion campaign in 2021-22, with 21 new players brought in for their first season back in the Premier League after a 23-year absence.

Awoniyi was the most expensive new addition, as Forest forked out a then-club record fee of £17.5m ($22m) to sign the striker from Union - tying him down to a five-year contract. "I'm very excited to be here at Nottingham Forest," Awoniyi said after the transfer was confirmed. "It's always been my dream to play in the Premier League and having spoken to Steve Cooper about our ambitions and looking at Forest, with its great history, it's a club that I want to be part of."

Awoniyi took a while to find his feet at Forest, and he suffered a serious groin injury in January that kept him out of action for three months. The Nigeria international missed nine games in total, but returned to full fitness at the start of April and started showing the kind of form that saw him take the Bundesliga by storm.

Forest beat the drop thanks to Awoniyi's late season flurry as he scored six goals in their final four Premier League matches, with crucial wins secured against Southampton and Arsenal. He also finished the campaign with the second-best shot conversion rate of all forwards that managed six or more shots (29%) - just behind City sensation Erling Haaland.

Awoniyi has picked up from where he left off this term, and he made history with his latest strike for Forest against United. The former Liverpool prospect is the first Forest player to ever score in seven successive Premier League games, and only the third African player to achieve the feat after Emmanuel Adebayor and Mohamed Salah.

Leicester City's Jamie Vardy currently holds the record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games (11), and Awoniyi might secretly be aiming to go past that mark after his electric start to the new campaign.

The Forest frontman suddenly looks like one of the bargain buys of the century, and is already a cult hero among supporters. Awoniyi is a natural goalscorer with an imposing physical frame that makes him a nightmare for defenders - which is why it feels like this is only the beginning.

There is still plenty of room for Awoniyi to improve as he enters the prime years of his career and it will be fascinating to see how far he can go. He passed the ultimate test after leaving Liverpool; lesser players would have shrunk into anonymity after such a frustrating spell.

Awoniyi is now the most in-form striker in the Premier League, and the sky is the limit if he stays on his current trajectory.