Given the exiting cameos he made under Jurgen Klopp, it came as a slight surprise that Ben Doak was allowed to leave Liverpool on loan this summer. But it was a decision that is certainly paying off.
Doak has thrived since joining Championship outfit Middlesbrough and over the last week he has taken his form into the international arena.
He was terrific as he tormented Manchester City’s £77m man Josko Gvardiol in Scotland’s 2-1 win over Croatia at Hampden Park on Friday night.
And then he set up John McGinn’s early goal in the Tartan Army’s 2-1 triumph over Poland in Warsaw last night that was sealed by an injury-time winner by his Liverpool team-mate and national team captain Andy Robertson.
Managers, team-mates and pundits have been lining up to hail Doak, who joined the Reds for £600,000 from Celtic in March 2022, including Michael Carrick.
The Manchester United legend, who is Doak’s boss at Middlesbrough, said after the teenager’s Scotland heroics: “He’s made a really good impression since he’s been here and it’s worked out well for him. He’s played well and growing and developing all the time.
“He’s so young and he’s played so little football really until this point, so, we’ve got to manage him and look after him as much as anything but great to see him thriving and improving all the time.”
Doak has scored one goal and has three assists to his name for Carrick’s promotion-pushing side since making a loan move from Liverpool in August.
And former Middlesbrough, Rangers and Scotland striker Kris Boyd believes the fact that the 19-year-old was willing to take a step down to get game time speaks volumes – and he agrees with Carrick that the Reds will be getting a better player when he returns to Anfield.
He obviously left Celtic and went to Liverpool, and it can be tough for young kids to go away and create their own career and pathway,” said Boyd to Gambling.com. “Sometimes as a youngster when you move to a big club like Liverpool it can be difficult, but I think you’ve got to give Ben Doak a lot of credit.
“Because it would have been quite easy just to sit at Liverpool and train and play with the guys that are there, but he decided to go out and learn at Middlesbrough and perform the way he has.
“When you look at a lot of kids nowadays they’re quite content just sitting within a squad, and I think that’s something to admire about him. He wants to play football, he wants to go and test himself, and he’s improved by doing that
“And by doing that he’s now got himself in the Scotland setup, and he’s something different. A lot of players nowadays don’t want to go and take people on, they’re quite content just passing the ball and getting back on it.
He’s an old-fashioned winger. He’ll get on it, try and isolate people and take them on. He can play the one-twos as well, but he’s comfortable going and taking players on.
“You only need to look at a few of his performances since he’s joined Middlesbrough to see that he’s grown, and will continue to get better.”
Liverpool do have the option of recalling Doak in January. But Teeside Live report Boro officials are relaxed about the situation given the opportunities that would be likely for him at Liverpool this season.
Arne Slot has guided the Reds to the top of the Premier League and the Champions League group stage as well as into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals since taking over from Klopp.
Doak, who suffered a serious knee injury last December, featured for Slot in pre-season and admits he spoke to the Dutchman before making the move to Middlesbrough.
He said: “I went on the pre-season tour with Liverpool, had a good time, got some minutes for the first time since my injury last year and I think I made a good impression before the injury, s
o I had a few clubs with eyes on me.
