Former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi has admitted he feels “sad” about his departure from the club.
Awoniyi left the Reds on a permanent deal last summer to sign for Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin. Liverpool received a £6.5million transfer fee for a player who never made a first-team appearance for at Anfield despite being on the club's books for six years.
The main reason why Awoniyi never featured was his lack of a work permit. The 24-year-old did not acquire a work permit until last summer, just weeks before he eventually left the Reds on a permanent basis.
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Since moving to Union Berlin permanently, Awoniyi has scored 18 goals in all competition this season. That form has seen him linked with a move back to the Premier League, with West Ham United being credited with an interest.
Looking back on his time at Liverpool, Awoniyi still has fondness for his former club but that he feels sad about the manner of his exit.
“As a football player, I’ve been in happy and sad moments but my time in Liverpool was one of the best things that happened to me as a football player,” Awoniyi told SoccerNet .
“I’ve been to different clubs and countries, different atmosphere everywhere. Going through all those stages, all those clubs is a long story.
“I may need to sit down for more than an hour to explain what happened at each of those clubs.
“Last year when I decided to leave, they had other options for me to stay or to go on another loan and the chances we got to stay in the Premier League was not enough for me to stay in the league.
“I said I’ve been to Union Berlin, they know me at the club, let me decide to come back there and sign permanently and we’ll see what happens.
“If I say I’m disappointed not playing in Liverpool, yes of course. I left when I got my work permit which I worked for many years for.
“Getting it and having to leave at the end of the day is something I was sad about, but life goes on. We keep on working.”
