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Two years ago, Liverpool were floundering under struggling manager Brendan Rodgers. The performances from the players were lackluster, the results were dismal, and it was obvious that changes needed to be made. One of the very few highlights, however, was the bright start from new boy Danny Ings.
Then the change occurred: Brendan Rodgers was sacked and in his place came the exciting Jürgen Klopp. That made it even more unfortunate when Danny Ings injured his ACL in Klopp’s first week in charge, and subsequently missed the rest of that season.
The knee injuries didn’t stop there, and now Ings is on the slow path to recovery as he tries to work himself back into the first team conversation.
The 25-year-old England man is confident that he can keep pushing on. Most recently, he was a second-half substitute in the 2-0 league cup defeat against Leicester City, his first appearance for Klopp’s team in nearly a year.
"Everywhere I have been, I have always found a way to make it happen. I have been in a lot of tough situations at previous clubs where it has been hard to break in," Ings told The Times.
"People from the outside looking in will probably have the assumption, 'Oh, he's the forgotten man' but it has not crossed my mind at all. I still believe in myself. I still believe I can play in this team.”
He talked down rumors of a possible January loan move, saying he wants to fight for a place at Anfield.
“When you are at a club like Liverpool, it is not a club that you want to walk away from. It would grate on me for the rest of my career, and the rest of my life, if I had not done everything to give it my all.
“I still feel like I have a big part to play in this football club.”
It’s always hard watching any player suffer that kind of long-term setback at such an important time in their development, but even more so considering what a good guy Ings appears to be. He has a tough challenge to ahead if he wants to make a place for himself on a team that already contains Firmino, Sturridge, and Solanke -- especially with Liverpool now out of the league cup — but everyone wishes him the best of luck as he tries.