Journalist Danny Ings is ‘probably a better goalscorer’ than fellow forward Ollie Watkins

Journalist Pete O’Rourke believes Aston Villa striker Danny Ings is ‘probably a better goalscorer’ than fellow forward Ollie Watkins.

The pair have been battling it out all season to become the club’s leading marksman in what’s perhaps been a frustrating campaign for both players.

Ings only arrived at Villa Park back in August as previous manager Dean Smith splash out £25 million to secure his services from Southampton.

The three-cap England international was one of the attacking talents charged with replacing Jack Grealish in the Midlands outfit’s forward line following his British-record move to Manchester City.

And things got off to a good start for Ings under the tutelage of Smith, with the diminutive ace racking up five goal contributions in his opening eight Premier League games for his new side.

However, things have quickly turned sour for Ings. The 29-year-old has only found the back of the net on one occasion in his last 10 games for Villa as he’s slipped down the pecking order.

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Since the arrival of new manager Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool striker has started just four top-flight fixtures out of a possible 12, with Watkins being preferred up front.

The English tactician favours a 4-3-3 formation, meaning there is only room for one No.9 on the pitch, and currently, that means Ings is having to make do with a place on the substitute’s bench.

Despite Gerrard often selecting Watkins over Ings in his starting XI’s, the 26-year-old has only scored one more goal than his colleague throughout 2021/22.

And O’Rourke believes Villa’s boss may be leaving his best goalscorer on the bench.

In an exclusive interview, he told GiveMeSport: “Obviously,