The Hoops' academy graduate is now a £25million player after leaving Liverpool for Bournemouth last summer
14:27, 15 Apr 2026Updated 14:27, 15 Apr 2026
Ben Gannon-Doak
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Ben Gannon-Doak
Former Celtic B team coach Darren O'Dea has revealed Ben Gannon-Doak felt "held back" by the Hoops as he attempted to a make a career breakthrough.
Aged just 16, Gannon-Doak was handed his debut for his boyhood heroes by Ange Postecoglou in January 2022 and was given a brief outing in the the 3-0 win over Rangers the following month. But those would be the only first-team appearances for the forward, who was limited to outings for the Lowland League with the young Hoops before he joined Liverpool.
Gannon-Doak exploded onto the scene at Anfield following the switch scoring eight goals and supplying six assists in just 15 games for the youth sides. However, the wide man found regular top team minutes with the Reds hard to come by and spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Middlesborough.
His form in the English Championship convinced Premier League side Bournemouth to splash £25million on the 20-year-old last summer. Despite an injury-hampered season, the wide man has established himself in the Premier League and is a key man for Scotland as Steve Clarke gears up for the World Cup.
O'Dea revealed that Gannon-Doak was pushing Postecoglou for more first-team minutes - and with hindsight he was "probably right" to be making the case.
Looking back on his time with the wonderkid, he told The Margins: “So he’s what you call a generational talent. There’s no coach – certainly not me – that’s going to turn around and say, ‘coach that.’ He just had it.
“There are two parts of it, taking care of it and managing his expectations, because he’s in a rush. He did it pretty quickly.
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Celtic's Ben Doak (R) replaces Anthony Ralston against Dundee United to make his debut(Image: SNS Group)
“He was one you just watched, and you just knew.
“Ben Doak thought he was getting held back at times and he made his debut at 16.
“Do you know what I mean? But that’s the mentality of him. And he’s probably right. He probably was good enough when he was 15.
“He was one you just watched. And the very few of, I can only think in Celtic’s kind of history, three or four, I could think of on top of my head, but he was one you just knew. So it’s actually becomes a responsibility to, to take care of him.”
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