- 16 Dec 2024
Danny Ings will only be sold for unavoidable offer – Ralph Hasenhuttl
Nicholas Hughes
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
- 2 min read
Danny Ings appears to be loving life at Southampton, but slow-moving contract negotiations are no sign of the player getting cold feet on the south coast.
That is according to his manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who said Ings is more than comfortable at St. Mary’s and should continue to thrive as Saints look to climb up the table.
“He feels the atmosphere is fantastic to play his football. He enjoys playing with us,” he said.
The striker has not played since Southampton’s 4-3 win over Aston Villa after which he underwent minor knee surgery.
Danny Ings put on a show last season
The 28-year-old returned to team training this week and could be in with a late shout of making the matchday squad for Monday night’s trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Englishman will be hoping for a clean run of fitness to keep Saints in the hunt for European football, and also to nail down a spot at next month’s European Championships.
But as contract talks progress very slowly, Hasenhuttl admitted if Ings didn’t want to ink a new deal, a sale would only go through for the right price.
“If he doesn’t sign a new contract, then he stays with us, and I only sell him if there is an offer that we definitely cannot avoid,” he said.
Ings scored 22 Premier League goals last season, a tally bettered only by Jamie Vardy, and started this campaign in similar form with five goals through the first seven fixtures.
While negotiations continue off the pitch, Ings’ sole focus will be returning back to the arena to help lift his side to greater heights, with Southampton on the brink of the top four in the league.
