Liverpool Transfer News: Ian Rush Praises Christian Benteke, Danny Ings Signings

Liverpool great Ian Rush has praised the signings of Danny Ings and Christian Benteke, saying the pair give manager Brendan Rodgers different options for the upcoming season.

The duo arrived during the summer transfer window, giving the Reds a whole new look up front, with the likes of Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli leaving the club.

Ings has featured just once for the club so far, as a substitute in the 3-0 loss against West Ham United, but he showed enough in pre-season to have Rush excited about the future, via Sky Sports' Dev Trehan:

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I was very impressed with Danny Ings in pre-season and he is a quality player that can come on.

I think Liverpool have got people on the bench who can come on and win you the game now where maybe a couple of years ago we didn't have that. I watched him in pre-season and for me he is very clever with the way that he makes his runs. He plays off the shoulder of the defender and he makes his runs early.

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While Rush sees Ings more as a super-sub, he believes Benteke is exactly what the Reds needed to lead the attack and give the side another dimension:

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I'm really happy that they have signed him. I think they needed someone like that. Benteke gives Liverpool a different option and I think he's probably a bit better on the ground than people think. Technically, he's very good but he's also a good get out for Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool like to play at the back but sometimes they overplay and he can be that get out because he is good in the air and it allows Simon Mignolet to kick the ball down the field knowing Benteke is a good outlet.

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Benteke has already gotten off the mark, scoring his first Liverpool goal in a 1-0 win over Bournemouth. The former Aston Villa striker is the unquestioned starter up front for the Reds, and it will be interesting to see what Rodgers will do with his formation once Daniel Sturridge is 100 percent healthy again.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

The Belgium international presents a whole new challenge for defenders to worry about, unlike last year's strikers, whose strength was playing in open space. While Sturridge and Ings also rely on their athleticism to do damage, Benteke has the ability to play with real power and rule the aerial battles.

According to WhoScored.com, that has already been evident early this season:

Like his predecessor Luis Suarez, who currently plies his trade for Barcelona, Benteke is a tireless worker who will track back to defend and present a target for midfielders advancing with the ball. While he may not be as gifted a finisher as the Uruguay international, he's undoubtedly an upgrade on Balotelli.

Ings was one of the top breakout performers of the Premier League with Burnley last year, and unlike Benteke, the 23-year-old Englishman has the versatility to drop back into midfield and fulfill a number of roles.

He could be in line to replace the suspended Philippe Coutinho against Manchester United, and there's a good chance he'll see most of his minutes as an attacking midfielder this season. The imminent return of Sturridge means there will be even fewer minutes to go around, but per the club's official Twitter account, that's not what's on Ings' mind right now:

Both Ings and Benteke have the look of typical blue-collar attackers who will put the team ahead of themselves and do plenty of work out on the pitch, a welcome change after last season's debacle. Balotelli reportedly never took training seriously, per the Independent (h/t Daily Star's Jack Wilson), and it's hard to imagine either of the new boys doing the same.

It's easy to see why Rush is so excited about the two additions. While their long-term on-pitch impact remains to be determined, one has to assume they'll have a far better impact on the dressing room than the likes of Balotelli ever did. And given the scoring form both sported last year, it shouldn't be long before they both start scoring at a consistent rate.

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