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Despite it occurring without very much fanfare and amidst a summer of big ticket acquisitions and even bigger ticket departures, the signing of Danny Ings by Liverpool Football Club was widely regarded as a smart, though not game-changing, piece of business. Out of contract at relegated Burnley, and with just the little matter of a tribunal fee to be resolved, Ings offered a young, aggressive option at the striker position with a promising, if brief, Premier League resume.
The decision to sign Ings would look even smarter in the final weeks of Brendan Rodgers' tenure, when Christian Benteke struggled to justify his transfer fee and the Liverpool squad as a whole laboured to find goals. In the space of a few appearances, Ings endeared himself to many supporters with his willingness to run and chase, but more importantly, he also showed an eye for the odd goal - which he demonstrated during the Merseyside derby that also signalled the end of Rodgers' run as manager.
When Jürgen Klopp was announced as Rodger's replacement, there was reason to believe that Ings was particularly well-suited to the new manager's preferences, and that the English striker would be primed for a more prominent role with the matchday squad. Alas, this was not to be, as Liverpool supporters know all too well. Ings would soon join his fellow new arrival Joe Gomez on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and both players were effectively ruled out for the balance of the season.
Fast forward to February 2016. The recovery process continues, with manager Klopp confirming that "Ingsy" has been cleared to move out of the gym and to commence light training in the streets of Philadelphia at Melwood. While a competitive appearance in this season is still out of the question, the light at the end of the tunnel is perhaps within sight, so what better way to commemorate the progress made than with an inspirational training montage video? This is a rhetorical question - there is no better way.
Let's take an in-depth look at the video, which Ings posted to his social media networks earlier this weekend. House lights, please.
0:00 - 0:16 Looks like a run-of-the-mill training ground film, but the expert eye will recognize all the hallmarks of classic found footage horror films: blurry faces, abysmal framerates, creepy synthesizer music, and Sylvester Stallone's voice.
0:17 - 0:37 More Stallone voiceover. "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees." I'm quite aware of that, sir, I paid full price to see Judge Dredd in a theater.
0:38 - 0:47 Pacino now on voiceover duty while we have some slow motion footage of Ings punching things (preparing for Stoke matches no doubt). Somehow I don't think the Pacino cut is from Merchant of Venice.
0:48 - 1:18 Our montage begins in earnest. We have a medicine ball sighting. Also some gratuitous swimming pool footage. Missed opportunity not using Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone as the soundtrack here.
1:19 - 1:20 Main titles - Danny Ings. If this doesn't set your heart racing the same way John Williams' Star Wars theme does, you might want to check your pulse.
1:21 - 3:18 And here we have the retrospective view of Danny Ings' greatest hits so far. Some nice clips of young Danny's time at Bournemouth, Burnley and Liverpool, capped by (pun intended) his first appearance for the senior England side. Riveting stuff.
3:19 - 3:33 More interspersed rehab/training footage now. The music is rising to an emotional crescendo, but not as big a crescendo as it would have been had they used Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone. There's that medicine ball again. Also some jumping on/over boxes. I'm sure he's a great professional and all, but my cat can do that.
3:34 - 3:50 Triptych panel montage. Art history nerds rejoice. Some chin-ups, more pool time, treadmilling, some weight training. Way to make your supporters feel self-conscious about their weight, Danny.
3:51 - 4:16 Slow motion footage of "I've just scored a goal, Martin Skrtel please don't do that it hurts".
4:17 - End Our montage draws to a close, with Ings practicing some high stepping in case he has to play United again and Ashley Young falls down in front of him. End credits. Applause. Crowd goes wild.
Come back soon, Danny.
— Danny Ings (@IngsDanny) February 21, 2016