Michael Mongie argues the case for Danny Ings to go out on loan to a Premier League club this season.
Danny Ings has had nothing short of a dreadful start to his Liverpool career. Last season, as I’m sure you’re aware, Ings suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee and missed almost all of last season – he played the last thirty minutes of the Reds’ Premier League game against West Brom and was welcome back by fans with rapturous applause.
Ings’ injury could not have come at a worse time. With Jurgen Klopp’s arrival, the former Bournemouth and Burnley hitman was being tipped to be one of the players to emerge and do special things under the German’s geggenpressing tactical system. After picking up such a serious injury, however, Ings was only able to play in nine games in his debut season for Liverpool.
If you look at the 2016/17 season, you will realise a few things, one being that Liverpool has a lot of forwards. With Klopp preferring to deploy Roberto Firmino, to great effect, as his number nine, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings have all been deprived of first team football.
For Ings, the result has been that he has been dropped to the reserves, but credit to him he has knuckled down and got on with it. His desire to work will not go missed by Klopp but perhaps Ings would be better served to go out on a short loan for the rest of the season to compete in the Premier League regularly.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
In the summer, Liverpool rejected eight bids, including a £20 million bid from a mystery club, for Ings as it is clear that Klopp rates him and yet he is yet to step foot on the pitch for the club in the Premier League this season. While Klopp has vehemently sworn against loan moves in the past, Ings would benefit hugely from playing regularly as he is still young and developing his game.
There are a number of clubs that could be interested in taking Ings for the last five months of the season, including his former team. Burnley has been struggling for a regular source of goals ever since Ings left and if the Englishman returned on loan he could help them stay up this season before returning to Liverpool next season after showing Klopp what he’s capable of.
West Ham is another team that is struggling to find the back of the net, despite having a decent team. Ings would thrive with the creativity of Dimitri Payet feeding him and he could help the London club lift themselves out of a relegation battle – after moving to their new stadium, West Ham sits just three points above the drop zone.
Regardless of whether or not Ings goes on loan, and this applies for Divock Origi too, he needs to play more regularly at a level more challenging than what he has been coming up against with the under-23s. Ings has a bright future and with his eye for goal and willingness to run, he’s a player made to flourish under Jurgen Klopp, but with the current squad situation, he won’t find any game time for a while.
VOTE NOW! Just two days left to vote! Rousing the Kop has been nominated, as a result of your votes, to win an award as the Best New Football Blog! To vote for us to win, click on the picture below!