RALPH Hasenhuttl believes Danny Ings still "has a chance" of making England's Euro 2020 squad, providing the striker can stay fit for the remainder of the season.

Ings was one of the Premier League’s leading lights last season, netting 22 top-flight goals, which saw him earn a recall to Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The forward scored in his most recent England outing, a 3-0 win over Wales, but did not join up with the squad last month because of injury.

And he is set for a big battle to regain his spot ahead of this summer's delayed European Championship, with the likes of Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins all in fine form.

Asked if he feels Ings will still make England's squad for the Euros, Hasenhuttl told the Daily Echo: "To be honest, you are right, there are so many good strikers around there for England.

"I don’t want to have the job to make the decision who I pick!

"Ingsy is definitely one of them and when he is fit and when he plays well and when he scores then he must be part of this.

"But he has to stay fit and go in the battle, and then he has a chance I think."

He added: "This is always my job to bring the best out of every player, and if he has a Euros or not, I mean he's part of this club, he has a contract with this club, so that contract means he has to do everything and just to help us, and I think this is the deal we made.

"I don't care about being part of the Euros, this is something like a bonus for him. But the most important thing is that he helps us win games, that he helps us climbing the table and that he helps us maybe come into the cup final.

"This is the deal we have with him. And so long as he's here, he tries to give his part to this deal and we give our part of the deal, that we offer him everything that is possible to make him better. This is how it should be with every player."

Ings has endured a stop-start campaign this time around.

The striker did not miss a league game in 2019-20, but has been on the sidelines for four different spells this term due to injuries and also contracting coronavirus.

But he returned from his latest setback with a bang on Sunday, providing an assist and also taking to 10 his tally of goals for Saints this term in the 3-2 victory over Burnley.

Asked how much he felt Saints' poor spells of form this season have been down to Ings not firing as regularly and consistently as last season, Hasenhuttl said: "This is not such a big secret that he is important for our game, definitely.

"He is even more important when he is fit and can run and do the job that he did in the last game. Then he has the quality to score, then he has the quality to prepare chances and I think this is what we missed, definitely.

"And it is also good that with Che (Adams) and with also Reddy (Nathan Redmond) now in better shape, we have something like a battle for the two positions in front.

"This is good because everybody knows that ‘when I don’t perform well, then maybe I lose my spot or my position in the first XI’. This is always the best way to push for better performances."