Ings could be frozen out all season at Aston Villa after update pre-Man City – pundit
Noel Whelan has insisted “potent” Ollie Watkins is the first choice striker at Aston Villa ahead of summer signing Danny Ings.
The former Leeds hitman, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 25-year-old is perfectly suited to Steven Gerrard’s counter-attacking brand of football.
Ings was benched as Aston Villa registered a 2-1 away win at Crystal Palace on Saturday (27 November).
Speaking in a press conference (30 November) before the Midlands side take on Man City, Gerrard confirmed the former Southampton striker had suffered an injury setback and will miss the clash at Villa Park.
Earlier in the season, Ings missed games against the Saints and West Ham through injury.
When asked about who is Villa’s first-choice striker, Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think Ollie Watkins is the first choice for Gerrard.
“He needs that run of games now to cement that place after scoring in Gerrard’s first game. That goal will have done him the world of good.
“He’s a different kind of player completely to Danny Ings. He’s better at running those channels and a bit more potent off the shoulder. If Gerrard is looking to play that quick brand of football, Watkins is his man.
“Gerrard has that added advantage of being able to call on Ings from the bench once he recovers from injury. We know how deadly he can be in that 18-yard-box – he’s already shown that.”
Watkins netted his third league goal of the season as Gerrard marked the first game of his Aston Villa reign with a 2-0 victory against Brighton last month.
Ings has also notched three league goals this term.
In other news, Aston Villa could exploit a special relationship to sign a ‘sensational footballer’ in January.