Danny Ings may be finished at West Ham United after yet another David Moyes snub v Sheffield United
It’s been a tough year for Danny Ings at West Ham United – and things could be made much harder after a David Moyes decision in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United.
Jarrod Bowen scored his first goal at home in the 24th minute, slotting Vladimir Coufal’s cut back into the far corner after some lovely build-up play, then Tomas Soucek doubled the lead on 37 minutes, sliding Michail Antonio’s pass in after a nice run into the box.
The Hammers could well have had more goals but for a lack of a clinical edge and taking their foot off the gas in the second half but its a result which gets the Hammers back on track after successive defeats by Manchester City and Liverpool.
While the Hammers will be looking forward to Thursday’s Europa League tie with Freiburg (5 October) with a lot of confidence, one player will be gravely concerned over his future at the London Stadium and that is certainly Ings.
It looked like a real shrewd piece of business when the Irons persuaded Ings to make the move to East London from Southampton, given his impressive goal records at different clubs over the years in the English top-flight.
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.
His fortunes haven’t improved much this season, either, as he’s only played 43 minutes in West Ham’s opening six league games and hasn’t been able to make his mark.
The forward was handed his first start of the campaign in the 3-1 victory in the Europa League over Backa Topola on 21 September.
But he once again disappointed during his 77 minutes on the field – registering just one shot and failing to create any chances.
His next appearance came against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup but it was another performance where he looked way past his best, missing a glaring opportunity at a crucial moment of the match.
Despite playing 90 minutes, that was the only shot the Englishman had in the game even though he was playing against a side from two divisions below.
He also had just 39 touches of the ball despite the Hammers having 75 per cent of the possession, while he made no key passes and lost the ball on nine occasions.
Against Sheffield United, the Englishman was merely an afterthought as Moyes left him on the bench despite Michail Antonio’s uninspired performance against Sheffield United, a decision which could well mean Ings will feel these next few months until the January window may well be his last as a West Ham United asset.
The Hammers will surely be in the market for a striker in January having failed to acquire one over the summer after sanctioning Gianluca Scamacca’s sale, and should that happen, there may not be any room for Ings any longer.
