Aston Villa striker Danny Ings is struggling to make Friday night's clash with former club Southampton.

Ings, who left Saints to join Villa last summer, missed the 4-1 home defeat by West Ham with what manager Dean Smith said was a 'soft tissue' injury and is unlikely to recover in time for the trip to St Mary's.

Ings scored 41 goals in 101 Premier League appearances for Saints before moving to Villa Park for £25million, where he managed three goals in nine matches before failing to make the Hammers match.

The 29-year-old was joined on the sidelines by midfielder Douglas Luiz who is also struggling to recover in time to take on Saints.