'Ings is even better than I expected'

Ings has scored twice in the Premier League since joining from Liverpool on an initial loan deal earlier this summer, but it is his all-round game that has most impressed former Manchester United striker Hughes.

"I knew he was a very good player but his technical ability is probably a level better than I thought," Hughes admitted ahead of Monday night's clash with Brighton.

‘He has come in and impressed me in terms of the way he is able to receive the ball, manipulate the ball to create space and his understanding of dropping the shoulder to gain an extra yard or two. 

"Obviously he wants to score goals but he also gets a lot of pleasure from making chances for others."

Such is Hughes' confidence in the former Burnley man that he is backing Ings to add to his solitary England cap in the future.

"There is no doubt in my mind that he has the quality to play at that level," he insisted.