The rise and rise of the latest Peterborough United superstar

Poku had played 75 times for Colchester scoring six goals. At the time Posh manager Darren Ferguson said: "Kwame can play as a 10, he can play wide right or even wide left at a push. He is a talented boy and I believe he has real potential."

Not for the first time Ferguson’s judgement proved spot on. Just over three years later Poku is being linked with £6 million moves, with Rangers, Ipswich Town, Southampton, Millwall and Blackburn Rovers the latest clubs to reportedly have watched him.

"We signed him at 19 and we knew then he would be a top player,” Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony said on his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast. “In his first six months with us he had injuries and he caught Covid twice, but the pieces are all falling into place now.

"And credit Darren Ferguson and his coaching staff for the improvement and development. They have helped Kwame grow as a player.”

Poku made his Posh debut as a half-time substitute for Joe Ward in a 3-0 Friday night Championship defeat at Coventry City in September 2021. Predictably he struggled in an outclassed team.

Poku started 11 second tier games that season and also appeared as a substitute nine times. He didn’t score as Posh were relegated.

The Ghanaian international scored his first Posh goal in a 3-2 win at MK Dons in October the following season and his first home goal in a 3-1 win over Accrington Stanley later that month.

He only scored four goals in that League One campaign, but he managed 11 last season and he looks certain to mark his last season at London Road with a new personal best.

His hat-trick against Cambridge United last weekend took him to the top of the League One scoring charts with 10 goals and five assists in 15 matches.

No player in the top four tiers has had a hand in more goals this season than Poku who was named the League One Player of the Month for both September and October.

He’s now made a cracking start in a bid to emulate Cole Stockton (Morecambe) and Josh Morris (Scunthorpe) and become the third player to win it three months in a row.

After the derby Ferguson said: “Kwame is just unplayable at the moment. I would hate to play against him. He needs to give someone else a chance of winning player of the month or they’ll have to rename it the Kwame Poku Trophy!

“The boy is just so good. He deserves all the plaudits and all the credit. That's why we had to keep him last summer. There were offers for him and there will now be more offers for him.

“If you watch him, the stats don’t lie. I’m just enjoying working with him.”

Poku is not one to shout from the rooftops, but there is a quiet satisfaction with his progress.

“I’m trying not to look at numbers so much now,” Poku insisted at the weekend. “But it was a dream to get my first hat-trick, especially in a derby. I’m not getting carried away though.

“I just want to keep improving so I can help the team.”

In all competitions for Posh, Poku has scored 28 goals in 133 appearances.