Scotland boss makes Ben Doak admission as Liverpool youngster shines again

Liverpool youngster Ben Doak has been in impressive form across the international break and has caught the eye of Scotland manager Steve Clarke.

Doak, 17, starred over the weekend in a tight one-goal loss to the Spanish U21 side and he previously has impressed for Liverpool since pre-season.

His short, stocky build combined with his pace and work-rate has seen him get the better of senior opposition, despite his young age.

Clarke commented on the youngster’s form and spoke on his talent after watching the U21 side on Monday night.

“Anybody who watched the under-21 game on Monday night, and I did watch it, could see he is really good,” Clarke said when asked about Doak.

“In the first half, I thought he was really good; in the second half, he didn’t get in the game quite so much.

“He is a young man learning the game. I think going away and playing against Spain Under-21s away and being one of the highlights of the game is good for him.

“I was actually quite pleased with quite a lot of the young boys. I thought they did well; they competed well with Spain. So you look down and think, ‘Yeah, we can continue to improve’. That is what we are trying to do.”

Asked if Doak could be fast-tracked to the senior set-up, Clarke replied: “Let’s just see how things pan out. He is a young man; he is a very exciting talent, but sometimes you have to let them grow a bit.”

There was also more good news for him this week as it was confirmed he would be joining Liverpool’s Europa League squad which will give him the chance to gain more senior experience and exposure in the side.

A favourable group should see them wrap up their qualification early, allowing for more minutes and he will surely get minutes in both domestic cups as well.

Fans are simply excited to see more of the diminutive winger who looks like a very promising talent coming through.