Head coach Steve Cooper has challenged Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi to build on his double-figures Premier League goals tally next season.
The 25-year-old finished the campaign in red-hot form, with his strike against Crystal Palace his 10th in the top-flight. It was also the fourth successive game in which he had found the back of the net, making him the first Reds player to manage such a feat in the Premier League since Stan Collymore in 1995.
Cooper is convinced Awoniyi could have scored even more had he not missed a chunk of the campaign due to injury. And he believes the front man is capable of improving further as Forest look to push on next term.
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“The first part of the season was a transition for all of us. We all learnt about adapting to the Premier League, and T was no different to anybody else,” said the Reds boss.
“He was playing really well and scoring goals before he got injured. He missed three months of the season. Everyone thought at the time that the injury couldn't have come at a worse time because he was playing really well and had just scored against Southampton.
“He’s come back, hit the ground running with his performances, and then they have turned into goals as well. We’re really pleased for him.
“He’s been important for us. But he will be the first to tell you, that’s on the back end of a team which has really stepped up in the last month or so. When the team steps up and you start creating chances, you want someone to score them - he’s managed to do that for us.
“He can get more. If it maybe wasn’t his first year in the Premier League - with the transition which came with that - and if he hadn’t missed three months, he could have got more.
“Through becoming a Premier League team, we’ve sometimes struggled to score goals and create chances. It’s not as if he’s had loads of chances to score goals. I’m sure his scoring to chance ratio is quite high.
“We’re pleased with him. In the Premier League, you always need a player who is going to score goals. He’s shown he can do that. Let’s hope he can work hard to take that on next season.”
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