This wasn’t how the season was meant to transpire for Ben Doak. Having raced through the Academy ranks after arriving from Celtic for £600,000 the previous year, Doak was part of the Liverpool first-team squad that travelled to Germany and then Singapore as part of their pre-season preparations.
The teenager scored in the 4-0 win over Leicester City in the Far East and made such an impact that he was named among the substitutes for the opening Premier League weekend at Chelsea and emerged for the final 13 minutes to replace Mohamed Salah on the right flank.
“I call him a Tasmanian devil with the way he is buzzing around, he’s just so quick,” said Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk back in August. “If his decision-making gets better, and he has all the time in the world for that, then he could definitely be one for the future.”
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With Europa League group games and the early rounds of the League Cup touted as opportunities for Doak to bolster his senior experience, there appeared plenty of scope for the winger to put himself in the frame to replace Salah when the Egyptian temporarily departs for Africa Cup of Nations duty next month.
But despite some game time, it hasn’t really happened for Doak. Three starts in Europe have barely gone past the hour mark – indeed, he was replaced at half-time in the defeat in Toulouse – while he lasted 65 minutes in his sole League Cup outing at home to Leicester in which he spurned a good chance to open his senior account. His performances haven’t quite managed to meet the early hype.
One EFL Trophy outing aside in the 4-0 second round thumping at League Two side Bradford City, the need to be among the first team has often left Doak in limbo, 10 times an unused substitute for Jurgen Klopp’s side but unable to gain minutes with the under-21s. Not ideal at such a formative stage in a career.
And when the 18-year-old was finally afforded a start in Premier League 2 at home to Chelsea a fortnight ago, he lasted just 28 minutes before tearing his lateral meniscus, an injury that needed surgery and will result in a lengthy absence measured in months rather than weeks.
“He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was,” said Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders. “He can take time and we will wait for him.”
Lijnders was echoing an oft-used quote of Klopp regarding long-term injured players. And rather than mere lip service, Liverpool have form for standing by absent youngsters. Indeed, Doak doesn’t have to look too far for evidence of that, having started on the left wing against Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels earlier this month with Kaide Gordon on the other flank.
Gordon, who burst on to the scene in the 2021/22 campaign, was making his first senior appearance in approaching two years after a pelvic problem related to his growth. Still only 19, time remains very much on the youngster’s side.
There are more recent examples, with Conor Bradley having returned to the first-team fold after sitting out more than four months with a back issue, while Bobby Clark was on the bench against Arsenal last Saturday following more than two months on the sidelines. Like Doak, both Bradley and Clark have penned new long-term contracts this season.
Doak may have suffered frustration and disappointment in recent months at a missed opportunity to be Salah’s temporary successor. But Liverpool have already shown there will be further chances for the Scotland under-21 international on his return.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
