Asked about the form of star striker Danny Ings after Burnley’s recent home defeat to Arsenal, a local journalist close to the club shook his head and said: “Sadly, it appears that he’s had his head turned. He’s stopped scoring goals when we need him most if Burnley are to stay up.”
The England Under 21 striker Ings can be forgiven for feeling flattered. With a reputation for a fierce work ethic, Ings, 22, has flourished and been linked with a host of bigger clubs, most frequently Liverpool.
Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal was also impressed by the striker’s goalscoring performance at Old Trafford in February and with the future’s of Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie uncertain, plus the departures of Javier Hernandez and Daniel Welbeck, United are watching Ings’ situation.
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He’s also being courted by former United manager David Moyes of Real Sociedad, who invited him to the beautiful Basque Country in a private jet in January. Moyes hoped that he could persuade the emerging striker that a spell in Spain would be a good step in his career, that living in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities — that’s San Sebastian, not Burnley — would be a rich life experience where he could develop his game against the best teams in the world in Madrid and Barcelona. That 21 per cent income tax rate applicable to all foreigners earning over €600,000 (Dh2.39m) per year would be financially advantageous too.
A compelling sales pitch boosted by the fact that La Real have a history of English strikers doing well at their club, but Moyes’ key advantage could be that he could all but promise Ings regular first team football and point to the example of Ricky Lambert, who joined Liverpool in time for this season but has hardly featured.
Liverpool will be annoyed if they miss out. Brendan Rodgers tried to sign Ings in January but Burnley were understandably desperate to keep him until the end of their campaign.
He’s out of contract in June but Burnley would look for a tribunal fee of £5 million (Dh 27.7m) if he’s to join an English club. Again, that could be to Moyes’ benefit as a Spanish club could sign him for a much lower fee and use the difference to boost Ings’ wages.
Moyes accepts that it would still be a coup for the Basque Spanish side to land Ings. There’s not a single English player in Spain, but he can’t be blamed for trying, and contrary to what the Burnley fans think, he doesn’t believe that Ings has already agreed to join another club — as he’s allowed to before his contract expires.
The suspicions in Burnley are understandable. Ings has been unable to add to his nine league goals since that February strike at Old Trafford and has gone eight games without a goal, his worst spell since establishing himself in Burnley’s first team in late 2012. Without his goals, Burnley have slipped to the bottom of the table, though they’re still in contention to stay up against relegation rivals with a budget three times that of the Lancashire club.
Born near Southampton, Ings was released by Southampton’s youth Academy as a schoolboy and completed his youth football at neighbouring Bournemouth, then of the third tier. He made his first team debut at 17 and broke into their team in 2010-11, when he was rewarded with five contract improvements in a year.
After overcoming a succession of injuries, he broke into Bournemouth’s first team and started scoring. Goals attracted bigger suitors, with Burnley paying £1 million in 2011 and Ings rejoining former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. He was immediately ruled out for five months with a knee cartilage tear, but his profile soared last season when he scored 26 times as Burnley won a surprise promotion. With a good all-round game, Ings is more than a finisher and benefited from a partnership with Sam Vokes as he was named Championship Player of the Year. He was also awarded the first of nine England under 21 appearances so far. A full international cap is strongly predicted.
Ings boasts a tattoo of a phoenix rising from the ashes on his arm, captioned: “The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in a man’s determination.”
It’s the perfect motto for the striker and if he stays fit and plays in a better team there’s no reason why Ings should not prosper.
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