Garth Crooks has revealed he was left stunned when Liverpool attacker Danny Ings was substituted off against West Brom at the weekend and feels he needs more game time.
The 25-year-old netted his first Premier League goal in over two years on Saturday, as manager Jurgen Klopp handed him a rare start.
He has been eased back into action after a long-term injury and now made eight appearances for the Reds this campaign across all competitions.
The English centre-forward was withdrawn after 66 minutes and watched on from the sidelines to see the Reds blow a two-goal lead and draw 2-2 at the Hawthorns.
BBC pundit Crooks was impressed with Ings’ display against West Brom and insists he was baffled by Klopp’s decision to take him off.
Liverpool have a Champions League semi-final showdown with Roma on Tuesday night and the manager decided to give first-choice striker Roberto Firmino a late runout against West Brom.
“It was great to see Danny Ings back in a Liverpool shirt and looking so effective,” Crooks wrote in his column for BBC Sport.
“Two years he spent recovering from injury and, from the look on his face, putting Liverpool 1-0 up must have felt like winning the lottery.
“Why Jurgen Klopp took off the striker, I don’t know. Ings needs game time and was running Ahmed Hegazi ragged at the time.
“The West Brom central defender must have been delighted to see Ings substituted. Liverpool’s game started to fall apart the moment the striker left the field.”
OPINION
Ings will surely be delighted to be back in the Liverpool first team after recovering from an injury nightmare and his goal at the weekend will have been a massive weight off his shoulders. The striker was a brilliant upcoming talent during his days with Burnley and that eventually earned him his move to Anfield. He is certainly playing for his Anfield future in the remainder of the season and should look to grab the most of opportunities in the Premier League, with Klopp likely to continue rotating with their priority now on the Champions League. There is certainly an opening for a striker to challenge Firmino next season and Ings will hope it can be him.