The sight of seeing Danny Ings in a heap of pain on the floor, clutching his knee, is enough to leave any Southampton fans covering their eyes in anguish.
After landing awkwardly in a tackle late on in the 4-3 win at Aston Villa on November 1, Ings was substituted and taken in for immediate medical treatment. Knowing his long history of unfortunate injuries, Saints fans would’ve feared the worst.
Following the match, Southampton released a statement on their star striker – revealing that he will undergo small surgery on his left knee, which will sideline him for four to six weeks.
The 28-year-old started this season how he finished the last – by being in red-hot form with five goals and two assists in seven games so far. He also netted his first goal for England – scoring a wonderful bicycle kick against Wales in a 3-0 win. The strike was befitting a sold-out Wembley but sadly it wasn’t to be due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Last season Ings featured in all 38 Premier League games for Southampton, scoring an impressive 22 goals.
Southampton’s subsequent match after the win at Villa Park saw them host Newcastle in the Premier League – in what was the first time in 45 matches that Ings wasn’t available to manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. No doubt that would have been an unwanted statistic for the Austrian to hear before kick-off.
Saints supporters were now left wondering where their primary source of goals would come from with no Ings. Che Adams looked the obvious answer with three goals this season before this match. And deployed in a lone striker role he duly flourished by giving the hosts an early seventh-minute lead.
Stuart Armstrong grabbed the second to complete a 2-0 win – a result that saw Southampton sit top of England’s top-flight for the first time in 32 years.
Now six games unbeaten, this is the St Mary’s outfit’s best start to a Premier League campaign since being promoted in 2012 – exemplifying the team that Hasenhuttl has put together since being appointed in 2018.
Without their current main source of goals, will Southampton still be able to churn out wins as frequently as they are? Luckily for Saints fans, their main man won’t be absent for as many games as first thought due to the recent international break.
Southampton will be tested in their next two matches when they travel to Wolves on Monday night before hosting Manchester United on November 29. It could be a struggle without Ings but it does offer opportunities for others to shine, such as Theo Walcott.
Walcott and Armstrong played just behind Adams in Southampton’s win over Newcastle, something Hasenhuttl may deploy once more against Wolves.
Even without their talisman, the Saints will continue to try and march on – with the season-goal of a top-half or Europa League finish certainly attainable if they carry on their outstanding form of late.
By Harry Yeadon
