Leeds or Palace – Which Is The Best Option For Danny Ings?
The last time Danny Ings played for Liverpool in the league was in a 1-1 home draw with West Brom in May 2016. Since then, Ings has suffered a nightmare run on the sidelines after being forced to miss most of the last two-years after he initially ruptured the ACL in his left knee in a training session during Jurgen Klopp’s first week in charge.
Coming back from the ACL with substitute appearances in last year’s League Cup, he suffered another upsetting setback last October when he injured his other knee against Spurs at Anfield.
Now fit and raring to go for Liverpool, the 25-year-old finds himself way below the pecking order under Klopp, and there is little sign of him working his way back into his plans. Ings was back in action for the first time in 11 months, returning from his second knee injury in the defeat at Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
Ings has played only 17 minutes for the Liverpool first-team this season, and has spent the rest of his time with the under-23s. The former Burnley striker, despite finding himself surplus to requirements at Anfield, is determined to fight for his place.
According to ESPN, Leeds United are preparing a bid in January to hand Ings a chance to kick-start his career in the Championship. Leeds feel they can help the Englishman rediscover his form should they secure his signature in the winter window.
With getting regular time on the pitch at Liverpool looking bleak, a loan move to Leeds would therefore represent the ideal decision for Ings as he looks to get his stuttering career back on track. While goal-shy and hapless Crystal Palace are also believed to go for Ings, the striker should choose Championship football if given a green signal from Klopp.
Leeds, real contenders for clinching promotion to the Premier League, currently lie fourth in the Championship table with 23 points- played 15, won 7, drawn 2 and lost 6. They are 9 points shy of table toppers Wolverhampton Wanderers and next face Brentford at Griffin Park.
The Yorkshire club signed forwards Pavel Cibicki and Jay-Roy Grot, while took Pierre-Michel Lasogga on loan from Hamburg to replace Chris Wood, who departed for Burnley this summer. The aforementioned forwards have so far struggled to replace Wood and it makes proper sense for manager Thomas Christiansen to bolster his attack with the addition of Ings in January.
Ings remains a fine striker and a short-term drop down to the Championship could be the perfect platform for him in terms of rediscovering his lost mojo. The striker’s potential to score goals on a constant basis is undeniable, as his 21 goals in 40 games during the 2013/14 season helped Burnley earn promotion to the Premier League.
Ings would make the ideal foil for Lasogga in the Leeds attack, with his ability to run off the ball, link up with a partner and score goals. Leeds have numerous options up front but the former Burnley man will prove to be a quality and experienced alternative. With the current forwards struggling a bit, an intelligent and instinctive centre-forward like Ings could exactly be what Christiansen might need.
If Ings still thinks he can make the grade at Anfield, he should get back his scoring touch that made him an England international in 2015 and convinced Liverpool to sign him from Burnley. Despite the fact that Ings is a talented striker, the onus will be on him to prove himself at Elland Road, if he moves.