Supporters at St. Mary's will be hoping to see Danny Ings in Southampton's starting XI as soon as possible after his promising cameo against Burnley last Sunday.

Southampton were unable to walk away with all three points after their first home game of the season ended 0-0, but Ings' performance left manager Mark Hughes impressed (via BT Sport) and the 26-year-old could be the man to get the Saints firing again.

The Breakdown

Speaking after the game, Ings said: It does [feel special playing for his boyhood club] and now I've just got to prove my worth" (via Daily Echo).

And St. Mary's may just be the perfect place for the England international to do so.

It has been a hard last couple of years for £7.2m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Ings, who suffered two serious knee injuries at Liverpool. And once returning to full fitness, the former Burnley man faced an impossible task of getting into Jurgen Klopp's side with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah all performing exceptionally well in attack.

At Southampton, however, Ings should be able to nail down a starting spot or at least provide serious competition for the club's current first-choice striker Charlie Austin.

Last season, Southampton's crop of centre-forwards which included Manolo Gabbiadini and Shane Long were extremely poor in front of goal, while Austin himself struggled with injuries.

With that in mind, if Ings can stay fit and rediscover the form he showed during his debut season in English football's top flight with Burnley, then he could keep Southampton away from the relegation zone while relaunching his career in the process.