Exclusive: Fit-Again Taiwo Awoniyi Sets Modest Goals for Himself and Nottingham Forest

The striker endured a frustrating time last season as his surgery to a recurring groin problem kept him out of the Reds’ squad as well as the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024.

A thigh injury in March sidelined him for six weeks, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest turned to Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Morgan Gibbs-White for inspiration in their fight against relegation.

Before his injury troubles, the Nigeria international scored six goals in the English topflight from 12 starts and eight substitute appearances. Now back in action, he feels elated but remains cautious about making any bold promises.

"It feels great to be back. After a period away due to injury, returning to play is what every footballer hopes for. I'm really happy to be back on the field,” Awoniyi told SportsBoom.com.

“I am back, I’m healthy and fine. This topic is very hard to go into. But as a player, this is a phase you cannot miss. When it happens, you feel bad about it. But you just must get going and you just have to stay fit and do the best for yourself.”

“Talking about target for this season, I will keep that to myself. Every player has what they are looking forward to and that goes for me as well.”

Nottingham Forest have been caught up in relegation battles over the past two seasons, but they have made a strong start this time around, much to the delight of the City Ground faithful.

They remain unbeaten in their three league matches so far, with two draws and a win at Southampton. Despite this strong start, the FIFA U17 World Cup winner is hesitant to make any predictions about how their season will unfold.

He added: "Every club has its goals and objectives. Our focus is to approach each game one at a time. For this one as well, I won't be making any predictions, we're taking things step by step."

Awoniyi Unbothered about Bench Role

The former Liverpool star doesn’t take his lack of regular starts personally, having come on as a substitute in every one of Nottingham Forest’s Premier League matches this season.

In the opener against Bournemouth, he played 18 minutes after replacing Chris Wood late in the game.

Against Southampton, he saw just 15 minutes of action, and in the 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, he came on in the 90th minute.

He insists he's unfazed by his recurring substitute appearances under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, noting that the Reds have quality players who can be relied on to get the job done.

Awoniyi continued: “That is football for you. Sometimes you come on early, sometimes you start a game.

“Nottingham Forest is a team full of talent and players who can be trusted. I just need to keep pushing and keep working hard.”

“This is something we feel bad about. As a team we played well. We delivered; we score a goal and scored another that was cancelled.”

“The season is still just started, and we still have a long way to go. For us, the City Ground would always want to win, it doesn’t matter who we are playing against.”

“Even when we get a draw in tough matches, they still feel like we should have won. So, for us, we always want to win every game.”

Nottingham Forest currently sits in ninth place in the standings, having accumulated five points from their first three matches. After the international break, they will travel to Liverpool for their next game on September 14.