Journalist Dan Sheldon has recently praised Danny Ings, talking about how he could have been called up to the England national team by Gareth Southgate.
Sheldon was recently a guest on the latest episode of the Total Saints podcast. The panel talked about many things involving Southampton’s 2019/20 Premier League season. Sheldon hailed Ings’ performances and revealed that he could have been called up to the England national team in March.
Does Ings deserve a call-up to the England national team?
Absolutely
I don't think so
Ings finished the 2019/20 season with as many as 22 goals. He was tied with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at second in the race, while Jamie Vardy finished at the top with 23 goals (as per BBC Sport).
While talking about Ings, Sheldon said: “My 2019/20 Saints player the year is Danny Ings because, let’s face it, without his goals, Saints would probably be where Bournemouth are right now. You can just look at the way he plays and he is just a cut above the rest – as soon as he gets into that box and he’s got half a chance, nine times out of ten, that ball is going into the back of the net.
“What impresses me more about Danny this season is he didn’t actually start. He was playing second fiddle to Che Adams. Started the Pompey game, did that sort of iconic celebration and then it’s really kicked on from there.
“If you think where Saints were back at the end of October, early November, his goals really helped move the club away from danger, especially over the Christmas period into January. I know he didn’t score against Chelsea, but picked up some good results there. Obviously got the goal away to Leicester in January and then he’s just continued that form. He would have been in the England squad in March but for obviously the pandemic, which kind of put everything on hold, and that squad obviously got cancelled.”
Sheldon believes that Ings has been his Player of the Year for Southampton in the 2019/20 season. He also reveals that Ings’ performances meant that he ‘would have been’ in the England squad and if not for the pandemic, he would have been part of the Three Lions’ squad as well. The 28-year-old is valued at £15.75 million by Transfermarkt.
TIF Thoughts…
As per FBRef, Ings scored 0.67 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes in the season and that was the second-best tally in the Premier League. He was only behind Raheem Sterling in that regard. Only six players in the division had a higher non-penalty XG than Ings in the campaign (as per FBRef).
That says a lot about the season Ings had and shows how he managed to score the joint-second-highest number of goals in the campaign as well. If the Englishman keeps performing in the same manner next season for Southampton, it won’t be a surprise if he does get an England call-up soon.