INGS CAN BE A NATIONAL TREASURE

DANNY INGS has been backed to blast his way into Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

In-form Southampton hotshot Ings (above) has scored nine goals in his last 10 games, with only Jamie Vardy ahead of him in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.

And with Harry Kane crocked until at least April, there is also an England place up for grabs when they face Italy and Denmark in warm-ups for Euro 2020.

Saints defender Jack Stephens thinks Southgate should give Ings a call-up in March.

Stephens (below) said: “You have seen in the past Gareth Southgate is looking to pick people, so I don’t see why Danny can’t get in there.

“He has scored 15 goals, which is outstanding for the turn of the year and I am sure he will get plenty more opportunities. “He is right up there – he scores all types of goals and we see it every day in training.

“He loves scoring goals and being in and around the box.

“But it’s not just his goals, it is his work-rate as well, closing down centre-halves and full-backs... he is an absolute nightmare.”

Southgate gave Ings his debut for England-21s in 2013, but he has just one full cap to his name as a second-half sub in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania when he replaced Kane in a 3-0 win.

Saints face Leicester today for the first time since their Premier League record-equalling 9-0 defeat in October.

Boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has saved his own skin by changing tactics and steering his team out of the bottom three and up the table.

The Austrian boss said: “We learned a lot, especially that the way we played in that moment, we were absolutely on the wrong path.

“When an evening comes with such a result, if you take it as the right chance to turn something, then it is a positive.

“I showed the players that if this is the reaction, then it’s not a negative moment. It was a chance everybody took with both hands.”