Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has warned Saints striker Danny Ings that the ‘grass is not always greener’ as reports emerged suggesting the England international could seek a move away from St Mary’s.
The 28-year-old reportedly wants Champions League football and is reluctant to sign a new deal on the south coast unless there’s a release clause which will allow a club in European competition to swoop.
Le Tissier, a famed one-club man despite plenty of interest from elsewhere during his playing career, told PA (via Hampshire Live) that Ings should be careful what he wishes for, saying:
It’ll be one of those things but if it happens we just have to move on. Players come and go, you just have to keep working to find people to replace them.
It’s a perfectly natural reaction to have but, you know, sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. If he wants to play Champions League football he must score ten or fifteen goals for us this season.
Ings signed for the Saints after trying his hand at one of the traditional ‘big six’ clubs, Liverpool, but his spell at Anfield was blighted by injury.
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Having fought his way back from serious injuries in his career to recapture his best form at Southampton and put himself back in England contention, Ings seemingly wants another shot at the elite level.
However, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side currently on the cusp of a European spot for next season, with a lot of help from their seven-goal striker, a tilt at the European spots is not out of the question for Southampton.
At 28, the three-cap England international may feel that time is running out to mix it in Europe’s biggest club competitions – the Saints just need to prove he can achieve that without the need to move on.
