Ralph Hasenhuttl has made a big claim ahead of next season, with the Austrian suggesting that he is confident that Danny Ings will stay with the South Coast club this summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports (via Hampshire Live), the former RB Leipzig boss suggested that:
"I think Danny, especially, will stay with us.
"He knows that with all of his injuries that he has had, he has a very good spot to perform and come back - and I think this is important for a player.
"It's a risk to go into a final year of a contract with the risk of getting another injury, then things can be gone."
The 28-year-old's contract with Southampton is set to expire at the end of next season and the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with him ahead of the summer.
Ings has reportedly revealed that he is keen to join a team playing European football which, unfortunately, will be impossible with Southampton next season, but Hasenhuttl has repeatedly suggested that his star striker is not for sale this summer.
Despite facing injury issues this season, the former Liverpool man is still Southampton's top scorer with 10 Premier League goals to his name from 25 appearances.
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Although he hasn't been able to match his tally from last season, when he hit 22 top-flight goals, he has still regularly shown his quality this year, with Southampton's best performances coming earlier in the campaign as Ings and Che Adams were on top form up front.
After Ings' last move to a top club didn't work out, with injuries seriously marring his time at Liverpool, Southampton took a chance on signing him and it has certainly paid off, with him having 44 goals and 10 assists to his name during his time at St Mary's.
Earlier in the season, Tottenham Hotspur podcaster Lee McQueen was full of praise for Ings, saying:
"His stats, his duels, his goals, his work rate [are] absolutely phenomenal. He’d be an unbelievable signing.”
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However, from what Hasenhuttl suggests, Southampton may well be able to keep hold of Ings for next season, which would undoubtedly be a huge boost for their hopes of enjoying a successful 2021/22 campaign.
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