Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has praised Taiwo Awoniyi after the Super Eagles striker made an instant impact in his first start for the club, Footynaija.com reports.
Awoniyi received his first opportunity to lead Coventry’s attack in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash against Plymouth Argyle after making his debut as a substitute in their Premier League opener against Arsenal.
The Nigerian striker needed just three minutes to open his account for the Sky Blues before setting up Jack Rudoni two minutes later as Coventry raced into an early two-goal lead.
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Taiwo Awoniyi eventually played 70 minutes as Lampard’s side secured a convincing 4-2 victory, and his display offered an early glimpse of what he can bring to the newly promoted Premier League side.
After the game, Lampard voiced his delight at seeing the 28-year-old get valuable minutes under his belt after a disrupted pre-season in the build-up to his move from Nottingham Forest. Asked whether Awoniyi still needed to build on his fitness, the former Chelsea midfielder replied;
“I think so. He played some good pre-season minutes at Forest, although probably not so much in his last sort of 10 days before coming to us,” Lampard said, per quotes revealed by Complete Sports.
“So it was good to get him on the pitch at the Emirates and then he starts the game tonight (Tuesday) and he gets his goal and an assist, and yeah, he’ll be getting fit at this point but I thought we saw the qualities that we brought him here for.”
Awoniyi’s goal and assist against Plymouth came just days after his brief cameo against Arsenal, giving Lampard some encouragement regarding the capabilities of his latest recruit.
The Coventry boss will now hope the Nigerian can continue building his fitness and form as the Sky Blues prepare for their next Premier League outing against a confident Hull City side that defeated Manchester United on matchday 1.
