FORMER Burnley striker Danny Ings believes “marginal gains” have been the key to his first call-up to the senior England squad.

The 23-year-old marked promotion to Roy Hodgson’s senior side with a goal in his first Merseyside derby on Sunday, although it was only enough to earn Liverpool a 1-1 draw.

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Ings was capped 13 times for England Under-21s while with the Clarets, but having scored three goals for Liverpool since his summer move, he is now part of the full squad for the final Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania.

“I’m a big believer in marginal gains and for me this is another step in my career, another step in development and it’s one of those moments that’s huge in my career, and one I don’t want to end,” said the former Bournemouth striker.

“It’s one I need to build on and take great confidence from.”

Ings nodded in James Milner’s corner to give Liverpool the lead at Goodison Park, only for Romelu Lukaku to equalise moments later.

“Obviously it’s great to get a goal in the derby, but I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get the three points,” Ings said.

“There’s a lot of positives we can take from this game, especially the first half. I thought we created a lot of chances and the defence was magnificent.

“I do pop up with a few headers now and again. It was just a little bit of movement and luckily enough it fell to my head.”

Ings came off to nurse an ankle injury but it shouldn’t rule him out of international duty.