Southampton loanee Danny Ings has revealed his heartache towards being snubbed by Jurgen Klopp for Liverpool‘s Champions League final encounter with Real Madrid last season.
The Reds suffered a 3-1 loss to Los Blancos in Kiev, and Klopp opted for only two attacking players on the bench, Adam Lallana and Dominic Solanke, with the former entering the fray after Mohamed Salah came off injured in the first half.
Ings joined the Anfield club in 2015 but his career on Merseyside has so far been blighted by injuries, and he has now admitted that omission from the Champions League final motivated his recent departure from the club.
In an interview with The Times, he said: “That was one of the moments that obviously broke my heart,” he says. “For any player to play a part in the Champions League, coming on in games, to not then be part of the final was absolutely heartbreaking.
“It wasn’t just that night that helped me make the decision. There were a few squads I wasn’t in, or times I didn’t come off the bench, and you go home and you feel you have so much to give.
“It is such a strong squad at Liverpool, and they are going to do absolutely humongous things, that you understand every decision the manager makes. But it doesn’t stop the hurt. I went away in the summer and had a little think about my life. I have just turned 26 and I am still at a good age.
“When I first went to Liverpool I was 23, starting games, I made my England debut and I felt on top of the world. I just felt I needed that back in my life.
“The front three Liverpool have are arguably the best in Europe together. The way that they know each other’s game — unbelievable. I knew I wasn’t going to replace that.
“I did get game time towards the end of the season and it was great to have that feeling in the tummy when you stand in the tunnel. It got me wanting to feel that every week, which is what I am getting now at Southampton.
“The lads at Liverpool all wanted me to stay, but understood. We used to play cards on the way to away games and it was a different feeling for me because I wouldn’t be starting.
“I would cover that up, and I hid that, because I didn’t want to bring any negativity to the group. But it didn’t stop me going home and just sitting in the house with my dogs and being upset. That happened for a long time.
“Although I was happy around the lads and everyone at the club, on a much deeper level I know I wasn’t as happy as I can be. And, when I am happy, I play my best football and then I am going to give myself the best chance to get that England shirt back on and not be that guy with the one cap [won against Lithuania in October 2015]. That was the biggest reason for me: I just wanted to be happy.”
Having fallen down the pecking order at Liverpool, and with the insatiable form of the club’s deadly attacking trident, Ings opted for a temporary season-long loan switch to Southampton.
So far the England international has enjoyed a solid start to his Saints career, scoring a consolation goal in the club’s 2-1 defeat to Everton, and opening the scoring in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Next up for Ings and Co is a home match against Brighton after the international break.
The post Champions League final omission “broke my heart,” says Danny Ings appeared first on Squawka News.
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