Back in October, Ben Doak took his next steps with Liverpool in the EFL Trophy.
After impressing for both the Under-18s and Under-19s after signing from Celtic in a £600,000 move last summer, the winger’s first taste of men’s football since moving to Anfield was a trip to Accrington Stanley. When the final whistle blew, it was evident that it would not be the last.
Liverpool Under-21s were already out of the competition headed into their last group encounter at the Wham Stadium, with a 2-0 deficit being increased to three within two minutes of Doak’s introduction in the 68th minute. Despite this, the then-16-year-old would make it a night to remember, scoring in stoppage time to make it 3-2 after Calvin Ramsay had scored seconds earlier.
Days later, Doak scored the game-winning goal for Barry Lewtas’ team in a 2-1 victory over Everton Under-21s. Fast forward a few weeks, and Jurgen Klopp gave the winger his first-team debut off the bench in the League Cup against Derby County, before handing the teenager his first professional appearance after his 17th birthday later that week.
Doak appeared five times for Klopp’s first squad last season, including two Premier League matches. Meanwhile, from 27 appearances in the Premier League 2, EFL Trophy, UEFA Youth League, and U18 Premier League, he scored 11 goals and assisted eight times.
Doak scored in his first two Under-18s appearances, against Middlesbrough and Leeds United, and his stint with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side would last only five games before Under-21s duty called. Of course, his UEFA Youth League achievements boosted his promotion, as he tallied four goals and four assists versus Napoli and Rangers alone.
No surprise he was the buzz of the Academy just weeks before being approached by Klopp.
After been given another Premier League appearance against Chelsea on the first day of the season after impressing in pre-season and even scoring against Leicester City, more senior opportunities are now expected to follow this year.
It is for this reason that Doak’s return to EFL Trophy action on Tuesday night, when Liverpool Under-21s travel to Morecambe. Instead, after just missing one matchday squad under Klopp this season, a Europa League trip to Austria to face LASK Linz awaits.
The 17-year-old was included to Liverpool’s 23-man squad earlier this month despite not having spent enough time at the club to qualify as an Under-21s player on List B for UEFA competition. As a result, with his greatest competitive game under Klopp so far lasting 22 minutes, Doak could be given his longest appearance yet, albeit the German has potentially played down the possibility of a debut.
“If there will be kids involved, it depends on the level the kids can show at that time,” Klopp said of this season’s Europa League. “There is genuine talent there, but it is not experimental.”
“I believe that if we don’t have an injury crisis, we should have enough players to field a top team on Thursday and Sunday, and that’s pretty much the plan.” Then we’ll see how we go about forming a squad…
“We’ll see, but we’ve got good kids.” That’s the advantage of having all these kids in training throughout the [recent] international break. We had 16-year-old lads here who are really good and talented.
“I can’t wait for them, but for the time being, we’ll leave them alone and they’ll develop and all that.” But there are a few good players in the Academy, and I’m confident that the future is bright for all Liverpool fans out there.
Doak is perhaps the best of the lot, but Liverpool will continue to manage him carefully, with Klopp refusing to give sentimental starts just for the sake of it. After all, as thrilling as his first team performances have been thus far, there is one element he has missing that highlights how he remains raw potential, with his senior career limited to flashy cameos.
His best moments for the Reds have come when he has the ball in his hands and is sprinting at and past fearful defenders. These characteristics thrill fans and get bums off seats.
But what good is beating a man if you can’t keep your cool enough to pick out a teammate or score for yourself? Unsurprisingly, the head-down winger’s final ball is still a little lacking despite finding himself in these dangerous final third positions.
That will, of course, come with time for the 17-year-old, with his performances at the Academy level indicating unequivocally that he has it in his locker. However, after scoring on his first starts for the Under-18s, Under-19s, and Under-21s, the next thing he needs to show at senior level to make a more major step up is consistency.
It should not be lost on the right-winger that, if selected to start against LASK Linz, the guy whose starting spot he could be taking has now contributed to goals in each of his past 11 Premier League appearances.
Is Doak willing to ‘bring it in at that moment’? Only time will tell, but the Europa League, at the very least, provides more rotational chances than Champions League obligations.
Liverpool fans may want to see the Scotland Under-21s international begin in Austria, but while no one expects him to replace Mohamed Salah anytime soon, Klopp will not allow the teenager run before he has demonstrated his ability to walk.