BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has named Southampton striker Danny Ings in his latest Premier League Team of the Weekend, but has issued a gloomy prediction for the club should they suffer relegation this season.
What did he say?
Well, it was no surprise that the 27-year-old was in contention for a spot in Crooks’ XI after he was their two-goal hero in the vital 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Saturday, taking his tally for the season to 11 top flight goals in the process.
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The former Tottenham player was full of praise for the centre-forward in his latest article, but believes Saints must stay up if they want him to still be at St Mary’s next term.
He wrote: “As for Southampton, they looked to have recovered from their mauling by Leicester City earlier in the season – especially Danny Ings.
“The former Burnley and Liverpool striker has never looked back since he left Anfield and took his second goal brilliantly. The Saints need to stay up – because if they don’t, then Ings is gone.”
Is he right?
It’s probably something Southampton fans won’t really want to think about given the form the boyhood Saints supporter is in right now, but the stark reality is that it is true.
Ings may have a real affiliation with the club being a local lad, but if he carries on this form and the south coast outfit end up going down, there is no doubt that he will be inundated with offers from Premier League sides in the summer.
After three tough years of injury issues – including last season when he struggled to get a consistent run of starts under his belt due to various niggles – the 27-year-old is in the best physical shape he has been in in years and it is showing on the pitch.
His second goal against Villa was especially impressive, and he has already written himself into club folklore with his brilliant brace against arch-rivals Portsmouth back in September.
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His double at the weekend also meant that he is only the third Southampton player in the Premier League era to reach double figures for goals before Christmas, following in the footsteps of James Beattie and Matthew Le Tissier.
Crooks’ prediction is a gloomy thought for Southampton, but it is the harsh reality of the damage relegation would do.
In other Southampton news, Danny Ings has praised his “unbelievable” Saints teammate who has been poor in 2019/20…
