Liverpool winger Ben Doak is on the radar of Leeds United amid Daniel Farke’s hunt for new attackers ahead of deadline day, and it’s not hard to see why.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a promising pre-season having already racked up six senior caps for Scotland and 10 first-team outings for the Reds. Last season, he spent time on loan at Middlesbrough and featured for the club in December’s 3-1 defeat at Elland Road.
Doak ended his time at The Riverside Stadium with three goals and seven assists despite missing the second half of last season with a hamstring injury. He seems to have recovered fine given he came through four Liverpool outings unscathed this summer, with a goal to show for his efforts.
To get more of an insight into the teenager's talents, Leeds Live has spoken to Craig Johns, the Middlesbrough correspondent for Teesside Live, to get his analysis of how Doak fared during his loan spell last term - and whether he would be a good fit for Leeds.
Overall, how did Doak fare on loan at Boro last season?
Craig Johns: “When Ben Doak first arrived at Boro last summer he was described by their head of recruitment as a potential game-changer. That’s precisely what he turned out to be.
“He transformed Boro’s attack and was so often their star man, unlocking defences and just generally causing defenders nightmares.
“It says a lot for a player so young that when an injury ended his season prematurely in January it was one of the major factors behind Boro’s play-off push being completely derailed.”
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What type of player is he and what is his best position?
CJ: “Doak is an out and out winger, and an old-fashioned one at that. He’s fast, he’s direct and he loves to get the ball and beat his marker down the wing.
“He has played from the left from time to time in a more inverted kind of role, but he is at his best when running down the right wing. He’s such an exciting livewire who gets fans out of their seats.”
What are his strengths, and where does he need to improve?
CJ: “His pace is ultimately his biggest attribute. There were very few Championship left-backs who were able to get to grips with him last season, and he showed when stepping up to the international stage with Scotland that he could do it at that level too.
“Notably, he starred against Croatia, with Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol even struggling with him. One of his other big strengths is his belief. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come off the first time, or even the second time.
“Doak never looked deterred or flustered. He just simply wanted the ball and wanted to beat his man. There was a real single-minded fearlessness to his game.
“In terms of areas to improve, that would absolutely be his end product, which is understandable given how young he still is. There were times when he’d get into great positions but then not make enough of them. That was more so if through on goal, with his finishing.
“He’s still developing though, and it was clear he was getting better and better at that the more he played for Boro.”
Do you think he is ready for Premier League football with Leeds?
CJ: “It’s hard to say ultimately. Again, he is so young and breaking into senior football for the first time. Last season was his first season playing regular senior football, and as Leeds fans will know, the Championship can be an arduous slog and he was rarely offered a rest at Boro before his injury.
“He had a serious knee injury the season before that which meant he missed the second half of that season too. But the injury he suffered at Boro was completely different, so the one positive to that is that it isn’t a recurring injury.
“In terms of being ready for Premier League football, again it's always hard to say because that step up is so big. But with the above points of his character in mind, and using that Gvardiol example as the marker, he's certainly looked ready.
“The key, I would guess, will be, can he do it at that level consistently, particularly when coming up against better defenders each week.”
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