Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi recounts injury struggle at Nottingham Forest

Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi has opened up about the difficult times he suffered while he was sidelined with injury for three months.

Awoniyi has returned to the Super Eagles squad for the first time since September 2022 as they prepare for the AFCON qualifier against Sierra Leone slated for Monrovia, Liberia.

The 25-year-old striker had a rollercoaster campaign at Nottingham Forest where he enjoyed a good start to life in the Premier League last season.

However, Awoniyi sustained a niggling injury that kept him out of action for over three months and was sidelined from January to April, missing 12 games in the process and he only managed two Premier League goals till the World Cup break in November.

His first was Forest’s 1-0 win over West Ham, which marked their first goal in the English topflight division in 22 years.

The Nigerian international however, bounced back and made it 10 goals at the end of the season, scoring five important goals in his final three games to help the Tricky Trees survive relegation.

“During those three months when I was injured, I was lucky that my mum and dad were with me in the UK, and that was the first time that they really saw me really injured,” Awoniyi told Soccernet.

“My mum was almost crying every day because I was on crutches for about a month, and my wife was also always crying. But I am someone who believes that things may go well every time.

“Blood was taken out of my legs every week for three months. These are things that you can’t control, but the good thing you can do for yourself is to listen to the medical staff and believe in yourself.”