West Ham striker Danny Ings.
West Ham striker Danny Ings (Credit: Imago).
Zak Anderton
Mon 16 December 2024 15:10, UK
Harry Redknapp doesn’t know if Danny Ings has what it takes to be the starting striker at West Ham United.
The Englishman has helped lead the Hammers’ line for a couple of seasons now but his form has been way off the mark, with the striker only netting two goals since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
However, with Michail Antonio now out for the foreseeable future, it feels like Julen Lopetegui is running out of options and that is why Jarrod Bowen started as striker during their 2-1 victory over Wolves on 9 December.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (16 December, 09:43am) about Ings’ impact on the West Ham squad since his arrival, Jeff Stelling and Redknapp shared their thoughts on his current situation.
“Against Wolves, I mean Jarrod Bowen started down the middle but it struck me that it wasn’t until Danny Ings came on and Bowen was pushed wider that he really made an impact,” Stelling said.
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“Would you always start with Bowen playing in a wide role?”
To which Redknapp replied: “I suppose it depends. Danny has been a good player, but I’m not sure whether Danny can do that job through the middle on a regular basis.“
Danny Ings needs to step things up for West Ham United soon
After the form Ings showed at Southampton in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons when he scored a total of 38 goals, it’s hard to believe that he’s only scored two since the start of last season.
Many fans likely expected the Englishman to bring his clinical nature to the team but instead, they’ve been left without a focal point within their team.
Of course, Niclas Fullkrug was brought in over the summer but, as with all strikers that West Ham seem to sign, he’s not yet lived up to what’s expected of him.
Granted, he has been sidelined for most of the campaign but it feels like now he’s getting back to full fitness, this is his time to shine.
Niclas Fullkrug
West Ham United striker Niclas Fullkrug [Credit: Imago]
And, if the German does come into the starting XI and help turn the fortunes of West Ham around, Ings will likely have a lot of questions to answer.
If Ings wants to keep his role within the squad, he has to figure out how to get out of his goal-scoring rut and re-find his form from a few seasons ago.
In other West Ham news, one ace is surely sweating over his future as a January replacement has been eyed.
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