Ings: I will be ready when the manager needs me
As Liverpool get ready for a busy month of league and cup football during September, Danny Ings is keen to work as hard as possible to ensure he remains in the best possible shape if a first-team call comes his way.
While the majority of Brendan Rodgers’ squad are away with their respective countries on international duty, Ings - now classified as over age for England U21s - is using this invaluable time on the training field to put in maximum effort as he tries to impress the manager.
With the start of the Europa League on September 17 getting underway with a trip to Bordeaux, and a Capital One Cup tie with Carlisle United looming at Anfield six days later, Rodgers will need his whole squad at his disposal.
And, after an encouraging debut as a substitute during Saturday’s desperately disappointing Anfield defeat by West Ham, Ings is hoping his display will have shown the manager that he is ready when needed.
“On a personal level it was great to make my first appearance for the club but at the same time it was a game to forget about,” Ings told Liverpoolfc.com.
“To be fair to the fans they gave me a great ovation even though we were 2-0 down with 10 men, so that was really pleasing.
“I come in every day and work hard. There’s a lot of quality players here who have been brought in for big money, as everyone is aware of.
“I made a huge step coming in from Burnley with all due respect, to Liverpool so for me I knew I had to be a lot more patient than the other strikers that we’ve got here.
“I’m working hard every day to improve so that when I do get my chances I can take them with both hands and enjoy the moment.”
Ings admits he hasn’t spoken with Rodgers about potential involvement in the forthcoming cup games, but it’s clear from conversation that a first start in a red shirt would mean a lot to him.
The No.28 said: “Fingers crossed [I'll make my first start], but that’s always in the manager and his staff’s hands. All I can do is be ready for when I’m called upon.
“It’s going to be an exciting time with all the games coming up playing Thursday and Sunday football, so hopefully I’ll get more chances.”
Ings was also quick to praise teammate Dejan Lovren for his mental strength after the defender spoke candidly following Saturday’s Anfield loss to West Ham.
“It’s always hard for defenders," said Ings. "For example, if myself as a striker miss a sitter, it gets forgotten about, but as a defender you get punished a little bit more from the press and people like that.
“We [as a team] put our arm around everyone who makes a mistake because everyone is human at the end of the day.
“It’s like that in a game because everybody makes them, but we can just look forward now and go from there.
“Dejan is a fantastic player and a great asset to the football club. He’s a great man off the pitch as well so we’ve always got our arm around players who mistakes, but it was a team performance at the end of the day, it wasn’t just Dejan.”