In a normal world we would have been enjoying the Euro’s, but circumstances beyond our control means the tournament will have to be put on hold for another year.
If Euro 2020 would have gone ahead, there would have been one man who would surely have been part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad, Danny Ings.
Golden Boot
The Winchester born 27-year-old is already a contender for the Golden Boot award, having hit 18 Premiership goals so far this season, after a brace against Watford at the weekend, and is only one behind Jamie Vardy.
Ings started his career in the youth team at Southampton but was released as a schoolboy. Little did they know at the time that they would be calling for his services again in helping the Saints maintaining their stay in the Premiership.
The prolific striker had two seasons at near rivals Bournemouth back in 2009-11 where he made 27 appearances for the Cherries with seven goals to his name.
On Loan
In between his time with Bournemouth he was sent out on an initial one-month loan to non-league side Dorchester Town. He scored on his debut against Ebbsfleet United in a 2-1 home defeat.
His loan spell was eventually extended by the Conference South side. With Ings grabbing a further three goals in eight more appearances.
In August 2011 Championship side Burnley secured his services. He went on to play 122 games, hitting the net 38 times.
His impressive appearances for The Clarets was rewarded when he won the Championship Player Of The Year at the Football League Awards in 2014.
Liverpool
A year later Ings joined Liverpool, making his debut in a 3-0 loss to West Ham at Anfield. In October Ings suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
However, Ings proved the doubters and everybody wrong by making a quick recovery. Returning back to the side to feature in the final match of the season against West Brom.
Ings, has always had to fight of injuries in his career. He suffered another setback when he damaged his right knee in a League Cup match against Tottenham. It would require another spell on the sidelines, this time nine months.
A New Challenge
In September 2017, Ings made his first appearance in 11 months since his injury. He came on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Leicester City in the EFL Cup. He spent a total of four seasons at Anfield, making just 14 appearances with three goals scored.
Due to the form of Liverpool’s magnificent trio of Salah, Mane and Firmino, Ings felt disillusioned and requested a move away from Liverpool. Ings joined Southampton on an initial loan spell in August 2018 which eventually turned into a permanent move.
Goals
Since the move back to his original club, Ings has scored twenty-five goals for the Saints. And this season in particular has looked a classy forward.
One can’t deny that Ings is such an important player for the Saints. If he gets a chance, he rarely misses, a sign of a quality striker.
When you consider the setbacks, he has had to suffer he has always come back a better player. He leads the line brilliantly, and at 27 has still got more years in him-injuries permitting.
Although Euro 2020 will now be 2021. Make no mistake. Danny Ings name will still be on everybody’s lips come next year when Southgate names his squad for the Euro’s.
