Hasenhuttl warns Ings against move away from Southampton

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl says Danny Ings risks throwing away something special if he leaves the club in search of a money-motivated move somewhere else.

Ings has been in sensational form for the Saints over the last 18 months. In 2019/20 he scored 22 Premier League goals and in 2020/21 he already has five in seven starts, as well as two assists.

The increase in form has catalysed speculation that a bigger club could come in for the Englishman in the summer when his current contract runs out.

Ings is currently contracted until the summer of 2021, and will be able to talk to other clubs about a free transfer from 1 January.

Tottenham are one of the clubs reportedly interested in his services.

However, with the Saints credited with helping to revitalise his career, Ings has been warned against leaving by Hassenhuttl, especially if it is for more money.

“It is not normal that you get a situation like he has in a football club and this is something special, I think,” the Austrian manager told Sky Sports.

Ings: Snapshot

“I don’t want him to throw this away for more money.

“I speak to him once a month, maybe two times a month about this topic. We must concentrate on the job we have to do here. I don’t speak to him every week about his contract. It is not my job.

“It is his responsibility. He has to make the decision, nobody else, and then he has to live with the fact that he did this or that.”

Ings was previously in a similar situation at Burnley, and allowed his contract to run out before moving to Liverpool on a free transfer.

Injuries, a lack of form, and a lack of opportunities hampered his time at Anfield, before a loan and eventually a permanent transfer to Southampton gave his career a shot in the arm.