Michael Carrick is hopeful but uncertain if Ben Doak will play again for Middlesbrough, after the loan star underwent surgery on a thigh injury.
Doak has been absent since picking up the injury in training ahead of the Sunderland game at the start of February. Boro were hopeful the winger was close to a return last week, but in struggling to do so, further testing revealed the problem that Liverpool deemed necessary for surgery.
Having undergone what was described as a minor procedure, the 19-year-old is now back at Liverpool completing his rehabilitation with his parent club. It will then be up to the Reds on whether they allow Doak to return to Boro or not before the end of the season, meaning his time at Boro could be over altogether. Boro have 11 games remaining over the next nine weeks, and then potentially another three if they can secure a top-six finish to secure a play-off place.
Updating on Doak, Boro boss Carrick said: “Ben is back at Liverpool doing a bit of rehab now. That’s normal when it gets to this stage - we’ve had that before with players we’ve sent out on loan. He’s back with Liverpool and we’ll just have to see how that goes and how long he’s going to be out for.
“We’ll have to wait and see [if he plays again this season]. It’s hard to say either way at this stage, to be honest. He’s back with Liverpool and they are going to look after his rehab initially and see how that goes. We’ll just see how it progresses from there. It all happened quite recently. He was doing his rehab and then it came about. It’s something that’s unfortunate - both for us and Ben. But, it’s part of the game and he will come back stronger.”
The injury setback is a huge blow to both Boro and Doak. With three goals and seven assists, the Liverpool loanee was a crucial part of the Boro side, and he was missed as they lost the first four games in his absence.
For Doak, he was flourishing at the Riverside and enjoying his time at the club as he played regular football and was given the freedom to express himself in the Boro attack by Carrick. He regularly spoke about his enjoyment at the club.
“It’s like all players,” Carrick said on the youngster’s disappointment. “It’s never nice when you’re out injured. You want to be back; you want to be playing. But it is part of the game and something you’ve got to manage and deal with at various stages of your career. Rehab is rehab, he’ll go through that and hopefully be back on the pitch as soon as possible.”