DANNY Ings’ stellar season hasn’t taken Ralph Hasenhuttl by surprise.

The in-form ace has 21 Premier League goals to his name and could still yet win this year’s Golden Boot if he nets a hat-trick and Jamie Vardy fails to score.

Ings wasn’t Hasenhuttl’s signing but the Austrian knew straight away that he had a top striker on his hands.

“If you ask me if I was surprised (that he could be so prolific), no,” said Hasenhuttl, “I always saw he had a good finishing quality, one of the best I have ever seen, and I’ve trained with a lot of good strikers.

“His finishing around the box and the technique of how he shoots is amazing.

“If you bring him more often in the right position, it was clear to me that he would score more often.

“What was not so clear for me is if he can bring the workload I want to have.

“Because in the first season he really struggled to play 90 minutes. Now he plays three times in six days for 90 minutes and it doesn’t seem to affect him a lot.

“It’s definitely good progress.”

Hasenhuttl also highlighted the impact Ings has had behind the scenes, in particular the way he acts in the dressing room.

He added: “I think everybody is proud for him and for the club because he is such a positive character.

“You really want him to be successful. When he was struggling with injuries, it was really hard.

“What I like the most? I don’t know if it’s his playing on the pitch or his character in the dressing room.

“It’s always enjoyable to watch him because he really has fun. He really enjoys his job, it’s fantastic to see.

“He doesn’t belong to one group. He’s always connecting people to everybody. This is fantastic for me.”