Danny Ings deserves so much more than England will give him

Matt Stead

It remains his longest England appearance to date, albeit also his second-shortest. Danny Ings ‘did not look out of place’ on his international debut: a 33-minute substitute cameo against Lithuania in October 2015. ‘A lot will depend on whether Jurgen Klopp takes a liking to the boy,’ it was said then. The Liverpool manager has rarely spoken so fondly of any player but that did not suffice, through no fault of any of the parties involved.

Five years, two national team managers and one transformative transfer passed in the time between those 33 minutes and the 22 minutes he was afforded against Iceland in September. As only the seventh player in history to score 20 or more Premier League goals in a season for a team finishing in the bottom half, Ings might have considered himself unfortunate to exist at the same time as Harry Kane. Others might simply have wondered what more they could possibly do.

Yet he never seems to concern himself with such politics. Ings is not inhibited by the same self-doubt as many of his contemporaries. He is a confident striker, not a confidence one. That might imply a certain arrogance or hubris – hardly terrible traits in a footballer – but he has more of an amiable aura.

The word that he tends to fall back on in interviews is “belief”. In the players around him. In his managers. In his coaches. In his mind. In his ability. In himself. In his journey. Without it he could quite easily be in the same situation as Jack Wilshere this summer: a player six months older and similarly stricken by injuries but at the nadir of his career while Ings approaches the zenith.

It is impossible not to feel empathy for someone who has suffered two long-term knee injuries in each knee at different periods of his development, the latest of which essentially ruined the biggest move of his career. Ings has had to rehabilitate physically but the mental strength required to overcome so many setbacks is astonishing. Few have married resilience with brilliance quite so effectively.

That maturity cannot be overstated. Perhaps that has helped him contextualise what is important, what is worth valuing. His younger self might have pushed to join Tottenham but the wiser Ings can see that Southampton is what is best for him right now.

Such wisdom should guard against what would be the forgivable frustration at another wasted international break. Gareth Southgate has already taken a blood pact with Jose Mourinho not to play Kane in every minute as England face three games in the next seven days, but it still feels as though Ings is below Tammy Abraham in the striker pecking order, with both usurped by Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He deserves more than half an hour against Wales, Belgium and Denmark but will leave it for others to protest on his behalf if the minutes are not forthcoming.

He has proven himself over and over again, from registering double figures for relegated Burnley in 2015 to making such a lasting impression on Klopp, to showing that last season was no aberration. Twenty-four Premier League players have had more shots than Ings in 2020/21; only six have scored more goals.

His role with the national team is probably assured for the foreseeable future. In this bloated squad only three players made their England debuts before him five years ago: Jordan Henderson, Kyle Walker and Kane. Much has changed in that half a decade since, but the one immutable truth is that he still will not look out of place.

Matt Stead