It’s becoming clearer with each passing performance from Ben Doak that Liverpool knew full well what they were doing when they signed him from Celtic as a 16-year-old in 2022.
The teenage forward has yet to truly establish himself at Anfield, having made just 10 senior appearances for the Reds so far, but he’s already played the same number of matches on loan at Middlesbrough this season, and the loan move appears to be paying huge dividends.
The 19-year-old won his fifth cap for Scotland in their UEFA Nations League win over Croatia on Friday night, and to say that he caught the eye could be quite an understatement.
Doak bamboozles Gvardiol with outrageous skill
In the 18th minute of the match at Hampden Park, Doak was preparing to receive a pass on the right flank but appeared to have nowhere to go due to the close attention of Josko Gvardiol.
That was until the Scottish forward casually flicked the ball behind him and swivelled instantly to get away from the Manchester City defender, who was left trying to halt the Liverpool youngster in vain.
Doak was brilliant all night for Scotland
That one breathtaking moment summed up what a fantastic night Doak had against Croatia, with some Scottish journalists in awe of the teenager’s performance.
The Daily Record gave him 8/10 in their post-match player ratings, stating that he left Gvardiol ‘eating dirt’ with that exquisite flick, while BBC Scotland‘s chief sports writer Tom English hailed a ‘fearless’ display in which he was ‘electrifying’ throughout.
The forward ended the night with a 90% pass completion rate and also won three duels, in addition to recording two successful dribbles and two key passes (Sofascore).
Doak was simply brilliant for Scotland as they put Croatia to the sword, and he made one of Manchester City’s best players this season look distinctly average at Hampden Park. Who knows just how high the 19-year-old’s ceiling might be!
You can view Doak’s flick to beat Gvardiol below, taken from Viaplay Sport’s match coverage and shared via @compsIfc on X:
— @ChiesaLFC (@compsIfc) November 15, 2024
