Middlesbrough have suffered a huge injury blow after Liverpool loan star Ben Doak was forced to undergo surgery.
Understood to have been a minor procedure, the 19-year-old winger has returned to Liverpool for initial treatment. While Boro aren’t understood to have completely ruled out Doak playing again this season, there are just 11 games left of the regular campaign, making it a race against time.
Doak has been a star player for Boro this season since his arrival in the summer. He has three goals and seven assists for Michael Carrick’s side and terrorised defences with his pace. Out since the end of January, Boro lost four on the bounce without the forward before finally getting back to winning ways with two consecutive victories last week.
Doak was understood to be on the comeback trail. Carrick had noted that the Liverpool prospect was closing in on a return and suggested he might have even returned to training this week when asked for an update ahead of last weekend’s clash with Derby County.
However, the thigh injury he suffered before the Sunderland game proved more serious than first feared and after further examination, it was determined that surgery would be required at this stage to aid his recovery. At the very least, he will now miss the majority of the remainder of the campaign, if not the rest of it.
The injury is a huge blow for Boro, who continue to push for a top-six finish. Doak’s importance this season has been clear and his return was set to be a huge boost for Carrick.
That said, they did boost their attacking options in the January transfer window with three new forward players, including Morgan Whittaker, who was always expected to be Doak’s long-term replacement at the Riverside. As well as Whittaker, Boro have Marcus Forss back from injury, while Samuel Iling-Junior can play on that flank too - albeit the Aston Villa loanee has so far struggled to make an impression since arriving at the end of the winter window.