Football
Glenn Price, Liverpool correspondent 6y

Liverpool's Danny Ings studying Roberto Firmino after injury return

Liverpool striker Danny Ings said he has been studying the work Roberto Firmino does both on and off the ball.

Ings, returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines after successive long-term knee injuries, made his Champions League debut as a substitute in Liverpool's 5-0 win at Porto on Wednesday.

The ex-Burnley player said he had been paying close attention to Firmino in training, with the Brazil international having scored 21 times this season and contributed 12 assists.

"From the moment I started training back with the lads, I tried to learn every day -- especially from Bobby [Firmino's nickname]," Ings told the club's official website.

"He is a fantastic player with the way he plays and the amount of work he does for the team, not just on the ball but off the ball as well.

"They are the things I have to look at and learn from, and that's what I did over the months I was out.

"Being back training with them every day, you get used to the patterns the manager wants and the intensity he wants. I'm learning every day from all the lads here and trying to be the best player I can be."

Ings has featured regularly for the club's under-23s side this season as he builds up match fitness and has made six first-team appearances as a substitute.

Despite interest from other clubs in January, Liverpool did not want to let Ings go, with manager Jurgen Klopp saying the 25-year-old was pushing for more opportunities.

"Yes, absolutely," Klopp said. "It's good. He needed time. A few months ago it was different, but a player like him, when they come back, they think: 'I am under pressure' and they want to come in immediately and get game time.

"Danny went the hard way. He played a lot of games for the U23s -- a lot of good games. Not all of them were good, but that's normal.

"If you feel like a settled player, like he usually is, and then you play U23 and are not the best player on the pitch, then it's not nice but it's an important experience again.

"It's all about getting match time and getting minutes. Then at one point, if the quality is there, he will be back -- and that he is back now is very important for us and fantastic for him."

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