Aston Villa journalist Matt Maher has given his view on forward Danny Ings after his recent performance in the Premier League.
Having signed this past summer in a deal worth a reported £25m and getting off to a flying start in a Villa shirt by scoring twice in his first two games, things haven’t gone all that well for Ings since, as prior to the weekend, he had only managed to score once since then – in the game against Wolves back in October.
He managed to break his duck in Villa’s recent loss to Brentford, scoring with a left-footed drive across the goalkeeper, but on top of that, he was able to help out the side in other areas, making two tackles, one clearance, winning an aerial duel and making two key passes as well (stats via WhoScored).
That is why, speaking on the Express and Star YouTube channel following the game, Maher offered his praise for the 29-year-old, arguing that it was his best performance since making the move to the club.
He said: “I thought Danny Ings in the first half had his best performance, potentially in a Villa shirt. [It was the] first time he’d scored since the Wolves game back in mid-October. And he looked last week against Chelsea like a player that needed a goal, and he’s got that goal, and him and [Emiliano] Buendía were linking up quite nicely.”
TIF Thoughts on Matt Maher’s comments about Danny Ings at Aston Villa…
Is Danny Ings' form a concern for Villa?
Yes
No
This is positive news to hear, because for what Aston Villa paid for Ings, they should have gotten a lot more out of him at this point.
He’s suffered a pretty significant drop in terms of his goal return based on the past few seasons – part of which comes down to his struggles when it comes to working with Ollie Watkins up top, something that has arguably affected both men.
But even factoring that in, it doesn’t totally make up for the fact that he has, for the most part, been a disappointment for Villa so far this season in front of goal.
So hopefully, this game can act as the spark that gets his form and season back on track, because there is a talented forward in there somewhere and he just needs to let it out. Hopefully, the partnership that Maher mentioned with Emiliano Buendía, who showed at Norwich City what a good provider he is, can help push him forward.
In other news: ‘I’m sure he’d love to’ – Podcaster tips 26 y/o as possible signing for Villa in January