For a young player who missed out on the chance to represent his country at a major tournament, the pangs of disappointment will have been acute for Ben Doak in recent weeks.
Given the chance to contribute towards Scotland’s ultimately frustrating European Championship in Germany, Doak’s hopes were curtailed when he suffered an injury setback early last month.
The blow came fresh after the teenager had seen his hopes at further progress at Liverpool temporarily halted by a meniscus problem that was picked up on Under-21s duty back in December.
The issue meant he was unable to add to the five first-team appearances made last term, the most recent of which came in a Europa League defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise in December with the Reds already assured of progress to the last 16 of the tournament at the time.
In a campaign that included a march all the way to the Carabao Cup final and two games against a Sparta Prague side who gave up an aggregate score of 11-2 in the Europa League, the opportunity for further game-time was there for Doak had he not succumbed to injury.
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It would only be natural then if such a young player was feeling particularly despondent at what has been rotten luck. Doak, though, has refused to let it get him down with a mature view taken towards the long-term health of his future having missed a chunk of Liverpool’s season and then what would have been an undoubted early career highlight in Germany.
As a result, the former Celtic youngster eschewed the chance to take up the full allotment of his summer holidays in favour of working with a personal trainer with the aim of returning to the AXA Training Centre as close to 100% as possible this week.
Pre-season testing on day one of the summer schedule is always one of the most difficult for the returning players but Doak is said to have been desperate to get back to work on Monday, desperate to shake off the injury troubles and show Arne Slot’s new regime that they have a real gem on their hands.
Doak spent time back in Scotland last month using the facilities of Killbirnie’s Valefield Park under the guidance of Empire Performance with one-to-one sessions and they have been slotted in alongside the sessions mandated by Liverpool, with the right-winger once more linking up with childhood friend Dylan Reid, a midfielder who is learning his trade in Crystal Palace’s youth ranks.
“Softly softly” is said to be the approach favoured by Liverpool when it comes to getting Doak back to full fitness and the ECHO has learned how Liverpool are “leaving no half measures” to ensuring their £500,000 capture from Celtic is given all the tools needed to return with a spring in his step this summer.
After so long on the sidelines, there is a caution about pushing him too hard and too soon, but the hope is that he will be cleared to give Slot something to really assess when the pre-season schedule starts to take shape in the coming weeks.
In many ways, it is a stance that is merely echoing a statement made by Scotland boss Steve Clarke when it was confirmed that Doak would be absent from the upcoming Euros through injury last month. “Let’s not overhype or overpush him,” Clarke said. “Let’s do it properly.”
It is a mantra Liverpool are adhering to but the player himself may feel he has a new set of eyes to catch when the football resumes this week.