Liverpool were hit with fresh bad news regarding one of their strikers. Danny Ings, who had just returned to full fitness for the side and had featured in the EFL Cup win over Tottenham, recently, picked up another knee injury and this will keep him out for the rest of the season.
The 24-year-old, who was signed from Burnley at the start of the 2015-16 season, had only made six appearances in the league last time around and made just two appearances for the side in this season.
Ings suffered knee ligament damage in the win over Tottenham as he slid in to make a challenge for the Reds. The injury does come at a bad time for the Englishman but fortunately, the injury is not in the left knee, which kept him out last season.
This time around, the injury is to his right knee and the Liverpool forward is to undergo surgery soon. Ings had torn his ACL last season, which kept him on the sidelines for a long time as well.
A major blow for Ings
Ings had just broken into the team and was expected to give Jurgen Klopp a major selection headache. That won’t happen at the moment as the priority would be to get the Englishman back as soon as possible.
Klopp was visibly upset with the news and was quoted by the Guardian as saying:
“To say we are gutted would be an understatement; he is such a great boy and has worked so hard that he deserves better luck than this.
“It is typical of Danny’s personality, on and off the pitch, that he picked up this injury to his knee when courageously trying to win the ball back for his team by making a tackle.
“But it is this same personality that means he will come back as good and as strong from this latest setback as he has done in the past.”
The German manager also confirmed the timeline for the injury and assured that the Reds would do everything to ensure Ings comes back better than ever before.
“I’m told the likely lay off is anywhere from between seven to nine months. He is mentally strong, physically strong and will have the very best treatment and rehab possible to make sure when he returns he is ready to play for us at the level we know he is capable of.”
The injury might not have an effect this season as the Reds have been doing well with Roberto Firmino as the main striker. They also have Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi, who can do the job up front, but for Danny’s future at Liverpool, this does throw a spanner in the works.