Jurgen Klopp confirms Danny Ings will be involved against Tottenham and has sympathy for the player

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Ings could be set for only his second first team appearance of the season when Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield tonight.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Danny Ings will be part of the Reds’ first-team squad for the EFL Cup fourth round tie against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield tonight, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Ings has only had half an hour of first-team football this season, in the previous round’s 3-0 win over Derby County where he is a second-half substitute. A lack of first-team games for the Reds means few opportunities for Ings, who has had to build up his fitness playing for the under-23s; a year after sustaining an ACL injury in training.

Klopp is quoted in the Liverpool Echo, saying he has sympathy for the player: “As a manager, you have about 25 players so you cannot talk about the individual situation every day.

“I think we are completely clear about the way and the things he needs to do. He is a nice guy and a wonderful player. That’s a sign of the strength of the squad. You can be a really good player and you cannot even be in the squad.

“You have to build a squad for different things to do and not just have a third or fourth striker on the bench. He has used the game time. All I can say is that he will be involved in the squad 100% and with the rest we have to see.”

Klopp appeared to suggest that Ings was a victim of the squad working so well so far this season, given the start to the Premier League the Reds have made.

Liverpool seem to have a preferred front three in Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane, with Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge both struggling to hold down regular starting places.

Ings has managed to score four goals in three games in Premier League 2, and scored a hat-trick in a friendly win over Ipswich, so he has certainly been doing everything he can to prove he is in decent goal-scoring form and ready for a crack at the first-team.

Prior to his injury, he seemed to become something of a favourite with the fans for his work rate and showed he knew where the net was too, and he has received a warm reception from Liverpool supporters whenever he has made a cameo appearance since his return from injury.

Ings will hope that in whatever capacity he plays tonight, that he can show he should be pushing for a place in the first-team squad on nearly every match day.