Nottingham Forest star Taiwo Awoniyi knew he had to leave Liverpool after training with Mohamed Salah.
Awoniyi has proved a massive hit at the City Ground since joining Forest from Union Berlin for £17million at the start of last season. The 26-year-old scored 10 times in 27 league matches, as the Midlands club preserved their status in the top-flight last time around.
He's carried on that form this term, bagging three goals in his first five matches. Forest sit two places and five points outside the drop zone, in part thanks to Awoniyi's sharp eye in front of goal.
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The forward was a new name to most Premier League fans last season, despite the fact he previously spent six years with Liverpool. Awoniyi joined the Reds in 2015 but failed to make a first-team appearance for the Anfield side before moving to Union Berlin in 2021.
However, he still got to train with the club's main stars, including the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Robert Firmino. And it was exposure to that formidable trio that convinced Awoniyi that he needed to leave Merseyside and try his luck somewhere else.
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Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, he said: "The training sessions, wow! I knew that this is the kind of training that you win something from! You don’t train like that and then at the end of the season you get nothing.
"For me as a player, that was the kind of environment I had always wanted. But in life sometimes you have to make tough decisions, and I knew for me that I needed to go and play every week.
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"You look at the time, there was Salah, Mane, Firmino and others. I knew the chances (to play) were very, very slim. I knew I needed to get to a place where I was playing every week. It was hard (to leave), but it was a decision I had to make."
Salah has continued to thrive at Anfield since Awoniyi's departure, while Mane and Firmino have both upped sticks to the Saudi Pro League. Awoniyi, though, remains in the Premier League with Forest and will be hoping to score the goals that fire them up the table as the season goes on.
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