Four games into the season and Southampton have put in some good performances, but one player has stood above the rest – Danny Ings.
Granted, Nathan Redmond, Alex McCarthy and Jannik Vestergaard have all been really good this campaign but Ings’ goals have helped the Saints to their first victory of the season.
I’ve been away since Saturday but was able to see the highlights of Southampton’s win over Crystal Palace and in particular Ings’ goal – in which his pace and more importantly his desire allowed him to break in behind and poke the ball between Wayne Hennessey’s legs.
When the 26-year-old was first linked with the Saints, we’d be lying if we were to say we weren’t extremely apprehensive – Ings would eventually arrive with a worrying injury record which saw him play just 14 times in the league in three seasons on Merseyside. With Charlie Austin also partial to a spell on the sidelines, it worried the Saints fanbase,
However four games in and Ings has swiftly become a fan favourite – he’s raved about how much happier he is playing football down in his home county and his performances on the pitch have reflected that.
The Saints of course have a deal in place with the Reds to sign Ings permanently next summer – it’s believed that total fee is around £20 million but some sources have reported that only £16 million of that will be paid up front.
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Of course it’s early days and the two goals Ings has scored in Southampton colours could be his last – we have no idea whether his form will continue or whether he’ll stay fit – but assuming he does, we can really start to get excited.
I can’t remember exactly whether the Saints were ever truly linked with Ings before he moved to Liverpool or whether it was just supporters speculating he would be a smart signing, but this summer wasn’t the first time the two parties were spoken about together – ultimately he moved to Liverpool, which actually may of done wonders for his game.
With no disrespect to Burnley, Ings will have learnt a hell of a lot more during his three years on Merseyside, especially as Jurgen Klopp has his Liverpool side playing such a fluid and attacking style of football. Ings himself may not of grown much as a footballer but his on-pitch IQ would’ve and he’s hopefully bringing that to the south coast. I for one can see comparisons between his goal against Palace and one Sadio Mane would score for the Reds.
In Ings the Saints have a forward playing for his local side as he enters his footballing prime – he’s unlikely to seek a move away to join another mid-table team and he’s even more unlikely to join a top-six club again. With that in mind we could see his energy and desire at St. Mary’s for many years to come.
Again all this excitement comes off of a small sample size but he’s given supporters plenty of reason to be optimistic.