Danny Ings

[ronanm]

Hard to know after such little game time. Busted a gut against spurs last season for the time he was on. Then got injured!

[danperkins]

I've not written him off simply because he's injured. I've written him off because I don't think he was very good to begin with, and he's been injured.

[Shaggy]

Having swam the Channel, Liverpool striker Danny Ings is now scaling Mount Everest

Popular frontman a big winner in the January window as he forces his way into Klopp's plans

During Danny Ings’ second agonising spell on the sidelines following knee surgery he set himself a challenge with the club’s rehab staff.

The Liverpool striker vowed to swim the equivalent of the English Channel in Melwood’s 20-metre pool.

Despite only being able to use his upper body, he clocked up the 21 miles by covering nearly 1,700 lengths over the course of four months.

Now he must feel like he’s gone some way to scaling Mount Everest. The summit remains in the distance but he’s made impressive progress as he bids to put two torrid years behind him.

There are winners and losers in every transfer window and Ings certainly belongs in the former category.

Rewind to early December and the 25-year-old looked destined to be sent out on loan. He had only played 17 minutes of first-team football this season and Liverpool had been inundated with requests about his availability.

Having spent the first half of the campaign building up his fitness levels with Liverpool Under-23s, Ings founds himself below Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Dominic Solanke in the pecking order. His prospects looked bleak.

However, rather than admit defeat and accept that his future lay elsewhere, the former Burnley frontman knuckled down and vowed to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s plans.

The attitude and application which blew Klopp and his staff away during those gruelling rehabilitation programmes came to the fore once again. His sharpness returned on the training field and opportunities started coming his way.

When he stepped off the bench in the Merseyside derby against Everton it was the first time he had graced the Premier League since May 2016.

There was another late cameo at Bournemouth before recent substitute opportunities against Swansea, where he had a shot, and West Brom when he got the nod ahead of Solanke.

Klopp saw enough to conclude that Ings would be a better bet than Daniel Sturridge between now and May. As a result the manager sanctioned Sturridge’s loan move to West Brom.

It was a big call. Despite a glut of jackpots on the fruit machines of Formby's watering holes, Ings has yet to score a competitive goal during Klopp’s reign - his last strike for the Reds coming in the 1-1 draw at Goodison in October 2015.

But there’s no doubt that his energy and tenacity are exactly what Klopp looks for in a striker. It was that willingness to bust a gut for the cause which first endeared him to Kopites and helped him earn international recognition before his world came crashing down.

Ings is now the deputy to Firmino. How much he features over the coming months will hinge on the Brazilian’s fitness and how far Liverpool go in the Champions League.

Two-and-a-half years after sealing a dream move from Turf Moor to Anfield, Ings has made just five starts and 11 substitute appearances for the Reds.

He has had to dig deep and show real mental strength to battle back from two season-ending knee injuries. His dedication and resilience has commanded the respect of his team-mates.

“It’s been a long road,” Ings told the ECHO back in December. “I've had to work hard, and had a lot of spare time too - so I just knuckled down on the fruit machines. But I’m past that and I’m in the shape of my life.”

All those sessions at Melwood over the summer when his team-mates were on holiday have paid off. He’s no longer on the outside looking in.

He has earned his place in Klopp’s plans. As the Reds look to nail down a top-four spot and make progress on the road to Kiev, he will get the chance to make a telling contribution.

This is what he has craved. Now he has to keep climbing and repay the faith shown in him.

[RedReet]

When I seen this bumped I thought it a cert that he was injured.

I really think Ings will surprise a few on here. Unfair that he seems to be getting the brunt of all the transfer window frustration, but he's a lot better than most give him credit for.

I'd love for him to kick on this season and get his career back on track.

[Irishnev]

I was looking for it - you didn't let me down

[vlahka]

He's as rubbish as Solanke. Hopefully we arent saddled with both of them for too long. Markovic is annoying enough to get rid of.

[RedReet]

He's as rubbish as Solanke. Hopefully we arent saddled with both of them for too long. Markovic is annoying enough to get rid of.

Solanke who has been here a few months and is still only a kid?

[Yozza]

“It’s been a long road,” Ings told the ECHO back in December. “I've had to work hard, and had a lot of spare time too - so I just knuckled down on the fruit machines. But I’m past that and I’m in the shape of my life.”

Go Ingsy...

[Nicey]

[labourRed]

That article and Mellisa's PR piece on the window were as predictable as the, erm window itself. Whatever you think of them (and I tend to like Mel) they sure as **** aren't independent.

As for Ings, I like him and the romantic in me wants him to do well but my head says that'd better at the level we bought him from much like Lambert. Still I'd be made up for him if he got a goal before the end of the season and I suspect he will.

[vlahka]

Solanke who has been here a few months and is still only a kid?

You just have to see how he moves to realize he isnt what we're after. If hes still a kid adapting then send him off on loan because right now we'd get more out of Moreno as a forward than him.

[Les Zeffelin]

When I seen this bumped I thought it a cert that he was injured.

I really think Ings will surprise a few on here. Unfair that he seems to be getting the brunt of all the transfer window frustration, but he's a lot better than most give him credit for.

I'd love for him to kick on this season and get his career back on track.

It astounds me that someone with such a positive attitude as Danny Ings attracts such negativity. If he can put his injuries behind him I think he will thrive under Klopp & make a meaningful contribution to the squad. It's no coincidence that Sturridge is gone & Danny remains.

[Exiled_red]

When I seen this bumped I thought it a cert that he was injured.

I really think Ings will surprise a few on here. Unfair that he seems to be getting the brunt of all the transfer window frustration, but he's a lot better than most give him credit for.

I'd love for him to kick on this season and get his career back on track.

It astounds me that someone with such a positive attitude as Danny Ings attracts such negativity. If he can put his injuries behind him I think he will thrive under Klopp & make a meaningful contribution to the squad. It's no coincidence that Sturridge is gone & Danny remains.

He's got the right attitude and works hard. If he has the ability then he sounds like a Klopp player. Given that he got double figures in a Burnley side that struggled before he came to use, that suggests that he is a capablend PL player. He's not at Salah or Firmino's level but when fit in think he can be a good squad players.

[Roboklopp]

I’d love to see him do well. Problem is now he’s probably higher up the pecking order than he should be for reintegrating him at as sensible pace.

[RedReet]

I’d love to see him do well. Problem is now he’s probably higher up the pecking order than he should be for reintegrating him at as sensible pace.

He's been playing U-23 football for half a season now, so should be more than ready to step up. Just needs to build up match fitness as obviously there is a massive gap in quality between U-23 and PL football.