Whelan can’t believe Danny Ings latest after what he’s seen at Aston Villa
Noel Whelan has insisted the decision to drop Danny Ings against Crystal Palace by Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard was a “strange” one.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the former Rangers manager will have regretted not playing with a two-man strike force when looking back on the game.
Ings, 30, was dropped for Saturday’s (20 August) away clash at Crystal Palace despite scoring in an impressive performance during the win over Everton a week earlier (13 August).
The England international came off the bench in the 66th minute but was powerless to prevent the Midlands giants from falling to a 3-1 defeat.
Ings, who is under contract until June 2024, notched seven goals and six assists during the 2021-22 season as Aston Villa finished 14th.
Whelan insisted playing with Ollie Watkins and Ings as a two-man strike force would have given Villa “added threat”.
He told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “I find that a bit strange.
“Strikers thrive on confidence and goals. When you have a striker who has scored their first goal the week before, the last thing you want to do is take him out the side.
“I think he would’ve been perfect against Palace – he would’ve given them a test.
“Gerrard’s gone for a different set-up – but I think that’s something he would’ve changed in hindsight.
“Playing Ings and Watkins together might have given them a bit of added threat and tested Palace more.
“Sometimes you’ve got to make these mistakes as a manager in order to get it right in the long-term.”
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