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Ben Doak – Scotland’s Next Big Thing!

Date: 16th October 2022

Ben Doak is a talent that has a lot of people talking. Not bad for a player who is still to turn seventeen years old. 

The young forward has already made his senior debut at Celtic, left the Hoops to join Premier League giants Liverpool and shine for Scotland’s under-21s. 

His prodigious talent has already got people talking about whether he could become Scotland’s next great player. 

It’s always good to look at the club who has sold a player and see their reaction to that player’s departure to gain an insight on what kind of player that person is. You could instantly tell there was a lot of disappointment at Celtic Park when it was announced that Doak would join Jurgen Klopp’s side in Merseyside. He had tremendous skill, was a settled young man and seemed destined to become a Celtic regular. 

The fact Liverpool were so desperate to sign Ben is another good indicator. They’re a club who do their homework when signing players, no matter their age. They want only the most talented young footballers and they also want players who have a strong and settled mentality. Plus players who are willing to work hard for the team and not just for themselves. 

To Ben’s credit, he has already shone for the Liverpool youth side. His performances for the Reds’ U19s in the UEFA Youth League have been of the highest quality. Doak grabbed two strikes (one in each game) against Rangers in recent weeks. The best of those goals coming at Firhill when he skipped beyond a few challenges before cracking in a fierce, swerving shot with the outside of his right boot. He also scored a very nice goal against Napoli, where his change of pace and ability to carry the ball with ease came to the fore. 

He often finds himself on the right-wing terrorising full-backs with his tricky skills and electric pace. The youngster has no issues with either coming inside or going down the touchline. You can definitely see why Klopp would like him, he has bundles of confidence and Ayrshire lad has no issues with being direct… Like one Mohamed Salah! 

Ben Doak’s style of play is reminiscent of that of an old school Scottish winger. A player that gets fans off their seats and super excited. 

There’s definitely a hype train following Ben at the moment. He has a template to follow in Billy Gilmour who also moved from Glasgow to an elite English side. Shine in the youth sides, progress and meet every challenge that comes your way. 

Doak has already progressed since his major move. He regularly plays for and impresses with the U18s and U19s (grabbing plenty of goals and assists). The sixteen year old has now also made his first appearance for Liverpool’s U21 side and didn’t look out of place at that level. Ben has also been rewarded with a call up for Scotland’s under-21 squad, making his debut against and scoring against Northern Ireland. 

His performances have already had some Tartan Army members discussing the possibility of speed tracking the youngster straight into Steve Clarke’s senior Scotland squad. I think that could be rushing it ever so slightly but it’s easy to see why so many are excited by this young prospect. 

The Athletic journalist Owen Brown, an authority when it comes to Scottish youth players, stated this  about Ben: 

‘One of the most exciting Scottish attacking prospects in living memory Ben Doak is in electrifying, thrilling form. If there’s a match on featuring him watch it. And when you’re watching don’t dare blink, double screen or step away to the kettle. He’s a must-see coil of energy with barely believable acceleration, fearless dribbling and an unquenchable thirst for goals and assists.’

High praise indeed! 

I love it when a young Scottish player grabs everyone’s attention and has us fans dreaming. He’s a throwback and something new and thrilling all at the same time. 

Obviously another player made the switch from Glasgow’s East End to Anfield. Kenny Dalglish would certainly become world class and a Scottish footballing legend. It would be foolish to compare Ben Doak to Sir Kenneth but how good it is to at least have a teenager with the skillset that can has have us believing there’s a young player starting his footballing path who can chase Kenny’s goals and caps record! 

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