So the time is almost upon us … Danny Ings is leaving Liverpool.
For some of you reading this, the news will trigger little more than a shrug of the shoulders. Some of you may actually be relieved as you feel as though he never was … and never will be … good enough for Liverpool FC. And then there are people like me – those of us who were really pleased when he signed, could see his potential and were hopeful (rather than expectant) that he would make the grade – who feel a little bit sad about it.
However … and this is a big however … one thing that the vast majority of us can all agree on is that the time is right.
When we signed Ings in the summer of 2015, it is safe to say that it was done with little fanfare. The then 22-year-old joined from Burnley off the back of a solid debut Premier League campaign in which he scored a respectable – if unremarkable – 11 goals as the Clarets struggled and ultimately slipped through the relegation trapdoor back into the Championship.
At a time when the sun was already setting on Brendan Rodgers’ reign as Liverpool manager and many supporters were at the end of their tethers with the apparent divide between Rodgers and the other members of the much maligned ‘Transfer Committee’, the unspectacular signing of Ings did little to encourage the fanbase that things were going to improve going into the 2015/16 season.
Joining Christian Benteke, James Milner, Joe Gomez, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Bogdan …. oh and some Brazilian lad called Roberto Firmino …. in being the new signings that summer, little was expected of Ings. And yet as he exhibited a work rate and enthusiasm that was desperately lacking among many of his teammates as the season began, coupled with a goal return of three goals in eight games, things began brightly for him. He was proving to be a rare spark in an otherwise underwhelming start to the season, which led to his first – and only – England cap.
However, as Rodgers left and Jurgen Klopp came in, in his first training session under his new manager, Ings suffered an ACL injury which kept him out until the final Premier League game of the season. Almost a year later, as he continued his recovery, he suffered a further injury to his other knee which kept him out for another 11 months. After signing for the club in July 2015 and scoring his third goal for the club in October 2015 against Everton, Ings’ wait for his next senior goal didn’t end until April 2018 – TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER!
In the time that Ings had been out injured and then subsquently worked his way back up into first team contention, the club had transformed under Klopp. The team that Ings joined was somewhat fractured, disjointed and making more backwards and sideways steps than it was progressing at the end of Rodgers’ tenure.
Whereas now, the team is making huge strides both on the pitch and with the quality of players being signed in the transfer market. With the unselfish yet deadly attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Firmino and Mohamed Salah leading the attack and lighting up both the Premier League and Champions League, Liverpool are a far superior attacking proposition than in 2015, and with the intention being to continue adding players of that similar calibre and ilk to the squad, one could only see Ings being a bit part player at best in the 2018/19 season.
Whilst the way he has worked his way back from his horrible injuries has been admirable, the fact of the matter is that when he joined the club, it was debatable as to whether or not he could stake a claim for a regular first team spot and be up to the task of leading the line for a club the size of Liverpool. So now being in a position where his career has stalled whilst the club has massively improved its attacking options, there isn’t a debate to be had.
It’s fair to say that Ings’ Liverpool career is unfortunately over before it really got started. Injuries arguably robbed him of his opportunity to stake his claim to become an important member of Klopp’s squad, and now the harsh reality is that the team has evolved beyond his ability.
At 25-years-old and finally injury free, Ings needs to be playing regularly at a club where he can take centre stage as opposed to making cameo appearances for the first team and/or leading the line for the Under 23s. He undoubtedly has the respect of the manager and of his teammates and he is a popular member of the squad, however, for a player who should still have the best part of his career ahead of him, this is not enough.
He showed in his time at Burnley and at the start of his Liverpool career that he can cut it in the Premier League, and he deserves the opportunity to show that he can make good on the potential that encouraged Liverpool to bring him in in the first place. His injuries may have prevented him from going onto become a better player thus far, however, at this stage in his career and with a clean slate at a new club, Ings still has time on his side to prove his worth at Premier League level.
Naysayers will have you believe that Premier League clubs won’t be interested and that he is destined for the Championship but this author believes that he won’t be short of takers in the top flight. Whether it will be one of his former clubs in Burnley and Bournemouth, who place great value in hard working, home-grown players with a point to prove, or a Brighton or Huddersfield looking to build on their impressive debut campaigns in the Premier League, or even a promoted club like Cardiff or Fulham, who will be looking to establish themselves and fight off relegation by bringing in determined players with points to prove, there surely won’t be a lack of interest in Ings’ services.
Wherever Ings ends up next, that club will be getting a player who is tenacious, resolute and a model pro. Somebody who deserves a chance but won’t expect it just to be handed to him, he’ll earn it. If he can recapture the form that led to Liverpool signing him in the first place then somebody will be getting a player who can be versatile, will work extremely hard for the team and who has the ability to score goals.
Here’s hoping that he does exactly that … except when he plays against Liverpool!
