Doak has quickly made a big impression at Middlesbrough and it's no coincidence that they won the first two games he started and really ought to have won the third at Watford too, having dominated for three-quarters of that game and collapsing only after he'd come off.

Boro's start to the season had been fraught with frustrations in attack as they struggled to break teams down and finish off big chances.

Doak has made an impressive start at Middlesbrough.



Nine times out of ten, he gets the ball wide, with Boro notably looking for that switch early to give him the best possible opportunity to face a full-back up one-on-one, and he looks to beat him.

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Ken Sema of Watford is the first full-back he's come up against in the Championship who could match him for pace, but it didn't stop Doak from trying and trying again.

Michael Carrick was quite influential in the signing by all accounts and effectively pushed for Boro to bring him in once it became apparent Liverpool were going to let him leave.

There have been nothing but positive things from Carrick on Doak so far as he discussed the impact he's had at Boro, both on and off the pitch.

But Doak has been brought in on loan for a reason and is already justifying the hype.

The Championship season can be a long, arduous slog and as well as many midweek games that might sometimes require a bit of tinkering to freshen things up, Boro are also covered for potential dips in form that would be usually expected of any teenage player.

However, in such a short space of time, Doak has moved himself into pole position to be starting games on the right side of Boro's attack and it's his place to lose now.

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They've proven flexible in that approach for the right signing, though, and it says a lot about how they feel about Doak that they have bent that rule for him, despite already signing a few attackers in the summer to effectively give themselves ample options without him.

Of the loan deals that best mirror this one, Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey both spent six successful months at Boro in 2023 and were such key players for Boro