In July during West Ham United’s pre-season tour of the United States, the squad were asked what present they would get Danny Ings for his birthday. The popular answers were golf clubs and hair products, but it was Vladimir Coufal’s response which proved endearing: “Plenty of goals for him, I wish.”
When Ings scored a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Fulham, his first goal since March, he was embraced by his team-mates. But amid the euphoria, Coufal delayed celebrating with the 32-year-old and waited until Ings was alone to hug him.
But had Niclas Fullkrug not sustained a calf injury while on international duty with Germany, Ings would not have been in the matchday squad. He is the third-choice forward behind Michail Antonio and Fullkrug. He has only played 13 minutes in the league against Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Fulham this season after electing to stay at West Ham, having had no desire to drop into the Championship.
Since joining from Aston Villa for £15million ($19.7m at current rates) in January 2023, Ings has scored five goals across 54 appearances. He has had more substitute appearances than starts and his best impact has been from the bench. He could have scored a hat-trick against Burnley in March and registered two goals against Nottingham Forest in February 2023.
Against Fulham, Ings played behind Jarrod Bowen after being introduced in the 82nd minute. It is a role in which he has made a good impression.
His positive attitude is perhaps not indicative of how former West Ham strikers have previously responded to disappointment. There have been no ill-timed social media posts or suggestions of unrest with the coaching staff. Instead, Ings has shown accountability for his paltry goalscoring return.
In an interview with the club’s in-house media in July, he spoke about feeling rejuvenated, wanting to make amends and show the offensive form he has displayed for large parts of his career.
“You have to enjoy your football,” he said. “If you don’t, then you are never going to reach the sort of level you want to be at. For me, despite not playing, I still enjoyed being around the lads, enjoyed being part of the team and tried to help as much as I could whether that is on or off the pitch. I just love to train with a smile on my face.”
The biggest compliment to Ings was Julen Lopetegui’s response to his goal against Fulham.
“Unexpected? No, he’s our striker and that’s why he plays,” said Lopetegui.
“We expected him to score and I’m happy for him. He’s a good example to the rest of his team-mates. Although he doesn’t play often, he’s always ready. He took advantage of the opportunity and that’s a good thing for him. We believe in him and when we spoke (in the summer) I told him he would have his opportunity. Today, he was able to show that he’s ready.”
Antonio retained his place in the team but the Jamaica international had another ineffective performance. He has yet to score for Lopetegui’s side and no longer deserves to be the first-choice striker. Bowen playing as a lone forward with Mohammed Kudus and Crysencio Summerville on either flank should be the attacking tweak the head coach makes in the coming weeks.
West Ham struggled with creativity, the midfield partnership of Guido Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez lacked pace and Konstantinos Mavropanos should have defended better for Raul Jimenez’s goal. The visitors were fortunate to come away with a point. There was more intensity in their warm-up than in their first and second-half performance.
But when Lopetegui looked to his bench for much-needed inspiration, Ings answered the call. He has not experienced many happy moments in a West Ham jersey, but his road to redemption is underway.
