Danny Ings enjoyed a bright start to life at Aston Villa, scoring two goals and making two assists in his first five Premier League appearances, but the 29-year-old’s form wavered after that and he ended up losing his place in the starting eleven.
Ings has scored six goals in 25 league outings since joining Villa on a three-year deal, averaging one goal every 4.2 games. The England international has converted just 14% of his shots, thus failing with 86% of the chances he takes, so he hasn’t been as ruthless as Villa would have hoped this season.
Steven Gerrard defended Ings’ form, however, instead suggesting that he’s still important to the side and can be a fantastic player when on song. He said via the Express and Star: “In terms of Ings and what we think of him and how important he is to us, I think it goes without saying.
“We love the kid, we love the player. He is very much part of our thoughts. When he is firing without these niggles and his focus is on the game he is a big threat for Aston Villa. I think he has proved that. From now until the end of the season we want his quality and goals to put us in a better place in this league.”
Villa paid £26.5m for Ings last summer but will feel short-changed with only six goals coming from the striker. He scored 34 goals in his last 66 league games for Southampton (1 goal every 1.94 games) but isn’t half as productive in the Midlands.
With two years left on his deal, Gerrard will hope Ings can recapture his form as Villa committed a lot of money to have him take the scoring burden off Ollie Watkins.
In other news, Steven Gerrard should replace Aaron Ramsey with Douglas Luiz v Burnley
