Southampton: Hasenhuttl reveals brilliant news concerning Danny Ings

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that striker Danny Ings is on the verge of returning to action after a knee injury.

Ings has been out since the 1st November when he picked up a meniscus cartilage complaint in the 4-3 win away at Aston Villa.

However, it appears that he will become an option for Hasenhuttl once again when Saints host Brighton next weekend.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester United game, Hasenhuttl said:

"“Danny is back in individual training on the pitch, so I think he can be an option for the Brighton game, which is moved to Monday now, but this weekend not.“As we said, it was only a light injury, but it looks good.”"

When Ings does return to fitness and contention for a place back in the starting line-up, it is vital that he comes back into the two-man strike-partnership.

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He is by far the most natural finisher that Saints have in their squad and has proven himself to be one of the best strikers in the Premier League in the past two years.

Any other player may have to fight for their place back in the team but Ings is the man that can win games on his own for Saints.

Theo Walcott has been positioned alongside Che Adams in his teammates’ absence and is also set to play this role again versus Manchester United on Sunday. Both players have been superb in the past two games and add different dimensions to the Saints attack.

When Ings comes back in, Walcott is likely to shift back out to the left wing. This could mean that Moussa Djenepo drops to the bench, but the Malian has also proved a crucial presence recently.

Given that he is young and still has a way to develop, an impact sub role is still great for Djenepo to prove his worth in short, sharp bursts.

Further injuries are also likely and will surely mean that most players get a chance to show what they can do at some point this campaign.