Ings wants to be a better player than he was before his two devastating injuries

There is unmistakable pride in Danny Ings’ voice as he relives his England debut. So it seems slightly incongruous when he then confesses that his souvenir from that day resides somewhere at the back of a drawer at home.

Yet the more he chats about running out against Lithuania and replacing Harry Kane, who was himself still a wannabe at the time, the more it becomes clear just why that first cap remains hidden away.

England retrace their footsteps from two years ago to Vilnius and to the plastic pitch at the LFF Stadium tomorrow for the final game of a successful qualifying campaign once again. Ings, in contrast, must watch from afar, although the contest will only underpin his determination to deliver on a