Southampton ace Danny Ings discusses Ralph Hasenhuttl

The Austrian leaves no stone unturned when it comes to extracting the best out of his players.

It’s understood by the Daily Echo that each member of his side has been handed iPads which includes feedback and video highlights from both training and matches.

Saints forward Danny Ings

And although Ings remained coy when questioned about this, the striker admitted the Saints boss is thorough in his approach to the finer details.

“I can’t give away the secrets,” explained the ex-Liverpool ace.

“But, put it this way, they are on us every day making sure we are bringing out the best in ourselves and making sure we are switched on.

“It’s not just about being out on the training pitch, it’s about thinking and being ready for the season and supplying exactly what the manager wants.

“We are all doing that.”

When Hasenhuttl first arrived at Saints, he conducted one-to-one meetings with every member of his squad to talk about their strengths and weaknesses.

This method was then used again during the club’s week-long stint in Tenerife back in February.

Ings has worked with a number of managers who enjoy looking at all aspects of the game.

He was coached by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool who, like Hasenhuttl, strives to maximise his players’ performance.

Asked whether Klopp dished out iPads on Merseyside, Ings responded: “I’ve come across loads of different stuff in my time in the game.

“Every club is different in the way that they want to imply things and the way we are doing this pre-season is great.

“We are all improving, and we are becoming better players and a better team and that’s the main aim.”

The players have clearly bought into Hasenhuttl’s new methodology over the summer as they’ve won four pre-season games in a row.

Their most recent match was a convincing win against Dutch side Feyenoord which was preceded by victories against Guangzhou, Preston North End and Brentford.

Saints’ preparations for the upcoming Premier League campaign will come to a conclusion this Saturday at St Mary’s.

FC Koln will present Hasenhuttl with one more chance to see his players in match action before the trip to Burnley on 10 August.

Ings previously told the Daily Echo that he feels as though his fitness levels are the highest they’ve been since he joined the club on loan last summer.

The striker netted twice against Preston to ensure Saints left Deepdale with a comfortable 3-0 win in the bag.

Due to arriving on the final day of the transfer window last summer, Ings was unable to participate in the club’s pre-season.

But having spent just over four weeks with Hasenhuttl, he outlined just how crucial it is for himself and the other strikers to have that time with the Austrian. 

He added: “As a player, with how fast the game is going and the way teams are setting up, it’s very, very important for players like myself to be with the manager from day one.

“It’s great for me on a personal note because, physically, I can be in the best shape that I can be.

“At the same time, I can really mould my game into the team’s game and I’m really, really excited for that.

“He has got his demands and it’s important that me, Che [Adams], and the other strikers all abide by that.

“We need to work as hard as we can to be as tactically switched on as we can possibly be.”