Danny Ings to be handed massive chance to impress in West Ham United clash v Backa Topola
Danny Ings could be set to be handed a massive chance to impress when West Ham take on Backa Topola in the Europa League on Thursday (21 September).
David Moyes is expected to make a number of changes to his side for the clash against the Serbian outfit, with the 31-year-old in with a chance of starting at the London Stadium.
The English forward is in desperate need of a confidence boost after he hasn’t had the best of times with the Hammers since joining from Aston Villa in January.
It looked like a real shrewd piece of business when the Irons persuaded Ings to make the move to East London, given his impressive goal records at different clubs over the years.
But he failed to really make much of an impact in the second half of last season, with his only goals in the Premier League both coming in the 4-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest in February.
He picked up a couple of assists as well as registering a crucial goal in the Europa Conference League quarter-final against Gent, but he would have been hoping to have made more of an impression.
His fortunes haven’t improved much this season, either, as he’s only played 30 minutes in West Ham’s opening five games of the campaign and hasn’t been able to make his mark.
It looked as though he could even be heading for a shock exit towards the end of the transfer window as Everton were reported to have expressed an interest in signing him, but he ended up staying at the London Stadium [The Sun].
He is one of just two recognised first-team strikers alongside Michail Antonio, so there could be more opportunities coming his way if he remains patient.
The first major chance could be on Thursday against Backa Topola as it is extremely like Moyes will ring the changes and give the Jamaican forward a rest.
That will probably mean Ings has a great opportunity to go out there and prove that he is more than capable of competing for a place in the starting lineup on a regular basis.
It hasn’t been the best year so far for the forward, but he has the necessary experience and ability to turn things around and kickstart his career in East London.
We are certainly going to need him to come in and do a job at times this season so, hopefully, he can get on the scoresheet against the Serbian side and build up some much-needed confidence.
In other West Ham news, one player could be set to leave the club in January after transfer news has emerged.