‘I think’: Newcastle United striker claims £25m Aston Villa man should be in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad

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Newcastle United forward Callum Wilson has claimed that Aston Villa striker Danny Ings should be in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

The Newcastle forward was discussing Gareth Southgate’s forward options on The Footballer’s Football Podcast, and who he thinks might be on the plane to Qatar.

Wilson is pretty confident that he’ll be in Southgate’s thinking, and Micah Richards agrees that the 30-year-old should be in the squad.

After considering a number of options, Wilson thinks that Villa forward Danny Ings should be in the World Cup squad: “I think you’ve probably got four strikers for two or three different positions.

“I’m on the plane, Harry Kane’s on the plane.

“There’s going to be players who are travelling to the World Cup, that don’t get into the September squad.

“There’s always one, two, three players that end up coming from nowhere.

“You see people like Kane, he’s doing well, he’ll go, and then behind that it’s kind of a free-for-all really.

“I think for me, you’re going Kane, myself, Tammy Abraham, who’s a different kind of striker, so you want four different strikers and then you’re probably taking Danny Ings.”

Wilson claims Ings should be in World Cup squad

It might be a bit of a surprise that Wilson chooses Danny Ings as one of his strikers to go to the World Cup.

The £25m striker only has three caps under this belt for England, and hasn’t been involved in the squad since 2020.

In fact, his Villa strike partner Ollie Watkins – who’s been linked with a move to a Premier League rival – has been Southgate’s preferred choice from the West Midlands.

Much like his club career, injuries have disrupted Ings’ opportunities at international level.

The 30-year-old forward could be a great option for Southgate if he can string a number of good performances together between now and November.

He’s already opened his account in the league this season, with a well taken goal against Everton.

When selected, he tends to be Steven Gerrard’s choice through the centre of the pitch, pushing Watkins out wide.

Although Watkins’ versatility may appeal to Southgate, Gerrard clearly thinks Ings is the better centre-forward.

Southgate is due to select his England squad for the Three Lions final warm-up games in the next couple of weeks, and all eyes will be on if Wilson’s claim that Ings should be in the squad for the World Cup come to fruition.