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Having completed six signings before the transfer window even officially opened, Liverpool have something of a backlog to clear when it comes to announcing the new arrivals. For James Milner, they waited for the player to arrive at the club for pre-season training on Monday before getting a few snaps of the midfielder getting his lean on and asking him about the move. They’ve done the same with Danny Ings.
Liverpool’s new striker was on duty with the England U21s this summer but cut his vacation short in order to join up in time for the Asian pre-season tour, and he showed up at Melwood for the first time today. That means you now get some pictures of Ings leaning in the hallways of Liverpool’s training complex and confirmation he has chosen to wear the number 28 for the club this season, plus answers to the standard questionnaire.
"It feels fantastic," said Ings when asked how it felt to be joining up with his new teammates at his new club. "Obviously I had a summer away but at the same time I was really looking forward to getting in and meeting everyone. As soon as I knew that Liverpool were interested, it was a no-brainer. It was the only club on my mind, to be fair. And now that it has happened, it's fantastic for me and my family."
Given the pressure manager Brendan Rodgers has been under following a disastrous 2014-15 season, it’s no real surprise that so far, the club’s new signings have talked up his role in their decision to sign on. It may well be true that Rodgers played a role in convincing them, but it’s hard not to see the orchestration—the blatant attempt to build a more positive narrative surrounding Rodgers as the new season draws near.
"He's fantastic at developing young players," said Ings of Rodgers and why Liverpool were his first choice destination. "For a player like me, I think it will be perfect to work with him; I'm really looking forward to getting that relationship with him and the rest of the coaches and the players as well. It's something I'm really excited to do. It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.
"There's nothing better for a young player like me than to be working for a manager like that, who loves to bring all these young boys in and give them a chance. With the development that he has for young players, it suits me down to the ground and hopefully we can have a great relationship for the future."
Liverpool’s first pre-season match kicks off at 2PM GMT/9AM EST on Tuesday from Bangkok, where Ings and the rest of the players currently in training will face off against a Thai All Stars XI. The match will be shown live and online on LFCTV. The training compensation owed to Burnley for Ings will be decided in arbitration over the coming months.
