Former Chelsea forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has claimed that Manchester United should have signed Saints striker Danny Ings in January.
Manchester United signed Odion Ighalo on loan from the Chinese Super League, but Hasselbaink says that they should have thrown money at Ings or Wolves striker Raul Jimenez instead.
Ings has scored 16 goals in all competitions for Southampton this season, 14 of those have come in the Premier League.
Speaking to The Metro, Hasselbaink said:
They knew that they needed a new striker for a long time. I don’t know how much money that they have but it is Manchester United.
Why, if you need goals straight away, are you not throwing money at [Danny] Ings for instance? He is flying is at the moment. Or Jimenez at Wolves – throw money at that.
READ SOUTHAMPTON VERDICT
Ings is Southampton’s top goalscorer in the Premier League this season and he has scored 10 more than any of his teammates – with James Ward-Prowse’s tally of four the closest anyone comes to him. This highlights his immense importance to the Saints and why it was vital that the club kept hold of him in the January transfer window.
It would have been a huge blow for Southampton to lose their star striker midway through the campaign, as they would be letting go of their main source for goals – decreasing their chances of winning games.
Hopefully, Ings will be able to continue his form throughout the rest of the season and fire Southampton to a top-half finish. With the European Championships coming up this summer, it will also be interesting to see if he makes Gareth Southgate’s squad for the tournament and if any other clubs come knocking for him.
