Danny Ings is fit and ready to help fire Saints to Premier League safety.

The club’s top scorer with eight goals this season has been out of action since limping off early in the draw against Burnley at the start of February.

Saints have managed to find goals from elsewhere in the team in his absence but are acutely aware they need more firepower in the final third heading into the last eight games of the season which will decide their top-flight status.

The three week break without a fixture came at the right time for Ings with Saints able to manage his comeback while also stopping him from overdoing things.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “For him it’s important that he gets all the time he needs to come back.

“We try to build up his training sessions, the intensity step-by-step and not too quick.

“He played the friendly game for 45 minutes and we have to protect him from himself because he always wants to train more than he should do so we have to take the break.

“I think he is now in good shape and if it’s enough for 90 minutes or from the beginning I don’t know but if not he’s a good substitution.”

Ings’ inclusion in the Saints squad for tomorrow’s game against Brighton at the Amex is a significant boost for both the club and the player.

“It is for every player frustrating if you don’t play and especially for him,” admitted Hasenhuttl.

“He is very motivated always and wants to help the team and after this long break I hope he is back fit.

“He had time to work on his basics because he didn’t have a pre-season last year as I think the last three or four weeks helped him to prepare his condition.

“It’s important for him to be fit again and now he has eight games I hope he will stay fit.”

Saints are likely to be missing a striker for the game against the Seagulls with Shane Long struggling to be fit.

Long was forced to pull out of the Republic of Ireland squad with a groin injury and returned to Saints for treatment.

Though he has started to train again tomorrow’s match looks like coming too soon.

“Shane Long is the only guy who isn’t fit,” reported Hasenhuttl.

“He was coming in the weekend without a game with Ireland and today his first time training with the team. Before that recovering and we have a look.

“It will not be so easy without training for a week. We have a look.”