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At a time in which Liverpool are taking stock of the progress made one year on from Jurgen Klopp’s appointment, Danny Ings has offered a timely reminder of what he still offers with a hat-trick for the Under-23s at Ipswich Town.

Many have observed that the progress made during the former Borussia Dortmund manager’s time at the club has been so significant that the time period feels much longer than 12 months but for Ings, who is approaching an unhappy first anniversary, the clock will have appeared to tick even slower.

Having been tracked by the Reds for several months and even mooted for an Anfield switch the previous January, Ings was a man on a mission when he finally arrived at the club in the summer of 2015.

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While his journey was relatively short in physical terms in travelling the mere 50 miles from Turf Moor, in regards to expectation levels it was a great leap from relegated Burnley to the most decorated team in the English game but the Winchester-born striker grasped his big opportunity with both hands.

Despite playing in a struggling side – results of course would soon ensure Brendan Rodgers’ tenure would come to a close – Ings netted three times.

After opening his account against Norwich City at Anfield, another goal in front of Reds home supporters came against Carlisle United in the League Cup before a strike on his Merseyside Derby debut against Everton at Goodison Park in the 1-1 draw that proved to be the final nail in his manager’s coffin.

In between the Ulsterman’s departure and his German replacement’s arrival, Ings headed off with the England squad and made his international debut as a substitute in a 3-0 victory in Lithuania in a European Championship qualifier.

Having had to impress one new club boss just three months before, he then had to repeat the process again with his team-mates at Melwood but a cruel blow was struck when Ings suffered a cruciate ligament injury in Klopp’s first training session.

Whatever agonies he might have been facing both physically and mentally at this point, he faced adversity with a smile and it is testament to his determination that he was already back training by the time the protracted negotiations over his transfer fee were finally settled by a tribunal in April with the Reds ordered to pay £6.5million plus a potential £1.5million in add ons.

Though still chronically short of match fitness, Ings was handed an encouraging fillip by Klopp on the final day of the Premier League season with a 26-minute run-out at West Bromwich Albion as the manager rested several of his stars ahead of the Europa League final just three days later.

Although Ings has had a full close season to continue working on his fitness, first team opportunities have been harder to come by so far this term.

A single substitute appearance at Derby County in the renamed EFL Cup with the Reds already 3-0 up has been his only run-out to date – again curiously entering the fray in the 64th minute like he did at the Hawthorns.

Competition for places among Liverpool’s front runners is now fierce so having to play catch-up, Ings has found himself the odd man out.

Operating in a more advanced role of late, Roberto Firmino is currently the Reds leading scorer with four goals but while new big money signing Sadio Mane has offered an increased threat from wide positions with three Premier League goals, there are shafts of light for Ings as both Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi are yet to get off the mark against the big boys with their respective two goals apiece coming in the EFL Cup.

Ings, who has diligently set about clawing his way back in with a series of impressive performances for the Reds second string, has now found the net seven times this season for Michael Beale’s Under-23s with his treble at Portman Road in the Premier League Cup following on from efforts against Southampton and Leicester plus a brace against Sunderland.

His manager has spoken about the seemingly English obsession with drafting in ready-made recruits from outside, often for big money, rather than his preferred method of developing talent into a desired mould from within and in many ways the hard-running Ings is a classic Klopp player.

Only Klopp himself can know just how great a chance Ings has of re-establishing himself as a Liverpool star under his tenure but transfer bids before the window closed are believed to have been knocked back.

The home tie against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup on October 25 is surely a realistic short-term goal for Ings but while his reintegration into the manager’s plans looks like being a slow burner, the flames are far from extinguished for this fighter.