Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has heaped praises on Super Eagles striker, Taiwo Awoniyi after he scored against the Reds on Saturday in the Premier League at the City Ground.
Recall that Awoniyi scored what became the winning goal in the 55th minute to hand all three points and lift Steve Cooper’s side off the bottom of the table.
The Nigerian international was a Liverpool player from 2015 to 2021, but never played a minute for Klopp’s team.
The striker returned to England in the summer and has had a decent start to life at Forest, especially in the context of their struggles.
“He [Awoniyi] had a sensational development,’ Klopp said post-match after enduring Liverpool’s latest disappointing result.
“He has arrived where he belongs and I am happy for him, but not today so much.’”
Awoniyi represented Nigeria at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and went on to win the tournament, scoring four goals during the competition. He also represented Nigeria at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand after winning the 2015 African U-20 Championship in Senegal.
On 12 April 2015, he scored a brace on his debut for the Nigeria U-23 team in a match against Zambia, as his team went on to qualify for the 2015 All African Games. He was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics
He was selected by Gernot Rohr in late 2021 to represent Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, making his debut in their 1–0 loss to the Central African Republic. Awoniyi was selected to represent Nigeria at the AFCON 2021 where he led the line for Nigeria throughout the tournament. His only goal during the tournament came in the 3-1 group stage win against Sudan.