A running theme surrounding Liverpool’s loaned-out legion over recent months has been, unfortunately, one of disappointment.
Only four years after Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury thrust him into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI, Rhys Williams was relegated out of the Football League with Morecambe over the weekend. Calvin Ramsay continues to struggle for minutes back in Scotland with Kilmarnock.
The prodigious Kaide Gordon played fewer than 300 minutes combined at Norwich City and Portsmouth. Jayden Danns barely kicked a ball in anger for Sunderland due to injury.
But while Ben Doak’s own spell in the North East also came to a pretty premature end, at least this wing wizard-in-training can say he seized the chance to show the Middlesbrough supporters what all the fuss was about before being forced to undergo surgery on a thigh issue he suffered back in January.
Liverpool’s Ben Doak was ‘sparkling’ at Middlesbrough
Doak averaged a goal or an assist every other appearance in Middlesbrough’s starting XI between September and January. Three goals and seven assists in 21 Championship starts.
Ben Doak has been tipped to succeed Mo Salah later down the line by some of those in the know. The Scotland Under-21 international certainly channelled his inner-Salah against West Brom just days before his season-ending injury, cutting inside and whipping a pinpoint shot into the top corner.
That was just one of many highlight-reel moments in a Boro shirt.
And while Doak is humble enough to let his football do the talking, one Sky Sports reporter had a point when he said the Liverpool wonderkid made the Championship look like child’s play.
In fact, when EFL expert Ali Maxwell this week picked a Football League Team of the Season made up purely of those under the age of 20, that Doak was available for only half of the campaign mattered little.
“Now, Doak’s season was cut short in late-January,” Maxwell begins. “But his form from November to January was absolutely sparkling.
“One of the best attacking players in the Championship, still at such a young age. Just, in terms of being a direct dribbler, one of the best in the league. Receiving the ball out wide, getting past his full-back by hook or by crook, leading to a shot on goal or generally to a cut back…
“[Doak is] a fantastic creative force Boro have really missed him.”
Michael Carrick still hoping for Doak return as play-offs loom
In their 15 league matches without the former Celtic prospect, Middlesbrough have been on the winning side just six times.
Michael Carrick’s out-of-sorts outfit also averaged 1.9 goals per game with Doak in their starting XI – he was dazzling in the consecutive 4-1, 5-1 and 6-2 obliterations of QPR, Luton and Oxford in November – compared to 0.9 without Doak in the line-up.
The Manchester United legend is not ruling out Doak returning before end of the season either. Particularly if Boro make the play-offs.
Though time is certainly not on their side.
“We’re not writing anything off yet as you probably understand,” Carrick said a week ago. “But, at this stage of the season, it’s pretty late. So it’s obviously not looking likely anytime soon.”
According to reports, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are eyeing up Ben Doak ahead of the summer transfer window, in the hope that Salah’s new contract will convince the 19-year-old to consider his options.