He grew up as a born and bred Southampton supporter, and having played the majority of his footballing tenure in the north of the country, Danny Ings has finally returned to the place he calls 'home'.
The striker was penned on a season-long loan deal, with the view to make it permanent, last month and netted the second in a comfortable 2-0 victory on the road at Crystal Palace - but Ings has played just as much of an influential role off the ball just as he would on it, which is precisely why so many fans are over the moon he is back on the south coast.
The Saints welcome Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday night to end this weekend's Premier League action as the 26 year-old is set to lead the line following a blister issue he sustained earlier this season.
Manager Mark Hughes has always taken a liking to the former Burnley man and even the ever-experienced top-flight boss is electrified to have landed Danny Ings' services at Southampton for the campaign, and potentially beyond.
“As an all-round attacking player he is exceptional''
Ings has only found the back of the net twice so far for the Saints, however, has regularly been described as the 'perfect striker' over his four appearances this term and is already making lasting impressions on the manager:
“As an all-round attacking player he is exceptional in that regard and the longer he plays and gets that run of games behind him he will be even better.”
The one-time capped England international is hoping to eagerly kick-start his career in the Premier League having endured an endless injury-abundant tenure on Merseyside.
Danny Ings signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2015 from Burnley but has been limited to a measly handful of appearances for the Reds after sustaining serious injuries during his spell at Anfield - although Southampton boss Mark Hughes is aware and anticipating to see just the impact he can have on the Saints' squad:
“The importance for Danny is to get regular football. “That's why he has come here. He has come to a club he has empathy with and he has had a period of frustration at his previous club where he obviously wasn't fit and even when he was fit he wasn't able to play week in, week out.
He is not going to get that hopefully if he get a fair run of games without injury, which we think he will get that, and it is up to him to make the most of that.''
''We are going to reap the benefits''
Southampton's 2017-18 campaign is certainly one to be forgotten and there's been very little talk of a successive relegation scrap under Hughes, but he believes Danny Ings is the man to change the club's fortunes:
“So we are going to reap the benefits of that and as a consequence of that I would imagine, further down the line, if he continues in the same vein and continues to score goals people will have to recognise that at international level as well.''
Ings did not receive an England call-up for the recent international break but there's more than enough confidence in his football that Gareth Southgate may opt in the next time round - the manager is nothing but full of praise for the attacking option:
“There is no doubt in my mind that he has the quality to play at that level.''