Danny Ings has had zero luck with injuries.
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After being out for the best part of 12 months following an ACL tear in his left knee last October, Ings, 24, has suffered another season-ending knee injury.
The striker was injured after coming off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur late in Liverpool’s 2-1 EFL Cup win at Anfield last week. It was his first appearance at home for 13 months but he jarred his right knee in a tackle and now needs surgery on his damaged cartilage.
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Liverpool confirmed that Ings will now travel to London for the operation on his right knee.
In a statement on their website, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp spoke of his sadness about Ings’ latest major setback.“To say we are gutted would be an understatement; he is such a great boy and has worked so hard that he deserves better luck than this,” Klopp said. “It is typical of Danny’s personality, on and off the pitch, that he picked up this injury to his knee when courageously trying to win the ball back for his team by making a tackle. But it is this same personality that means he will come back as good and as strong from this latest setback as he has done in the past.
“I’m told the likely lay off is anywhere from between seven to nine months. He is mentally strong, physically strong and will have the very best treatment and rehab possible to make sure when he returns he is ready to play for us at the level we know he is capable of.”
The former Burnley striker had been battling back well from his last long-term injury and had scored seven goals in four games for Liverpool’s U-23 side in the PL 2.
Liverpool boss Klopp is a huge admirer of Ings and turned down plenty of offers from the Premier League and abroad to take him on loan for this season. With Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana ripping it up in the attacking positions and players like Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi having to settle for spots on the bench, Ings had found himself a victim of Liverpool’s incredible attacking prowess which has seen them become the highest Premier League scorers in 2016.
This latest injury news comes as a devastating blow for the man who started his Liverpool career so brightly after joining from Burnley in the summer of 2015. Within a few month he’d become a regular in Liverpool’s lineup and was then called up for England, making his debut against Lithuania. He then suffered an ACL injury in one of Klopp’s first training sessions in charge and now, once again, he has a long road back to recovery.
Get well soon, Danny.