Image source, Getty Images
Eighteen years old. Just 12 games and 332 minutes played in senior football. No league starts and no action since December.
But still Ben Doak finds himself in Scotland’s provisional squad for Euro 2024. Must mean he is some player, right?
The teenager’s hype train accelerated at the speed of his lightning pace after a 2022 move to Liverpool was followed by first-team involvement under Jurgen Klopp.
The balloon started to deflate, along it seemed with hopes of a potential Euro 2024 call-up, when a season-ending injury ruled the Celtic academy product out of the final five months of the 2023-2024 campaign.
- Author, Nick McPheat
- Role, BBC Sport Scotland
But a return to first-team training has been enough to convince Steve Clarke to include Doak in his 28-man set-up, only emphasising how the Scotland head coach feels about the youngster.
Here, we chart the rapid rise of an 18-year-old dubbed the “Scottish Rooney”.
‘I’ve never seen anything like him’
Doak, who moved to Liverpool for a compensation fee of just £600,000, was Celtic’s brightest academy prospect.
At 14 he was playing for the Under-18s. At 16 he was drafted into the B team.
Then came an invite to train with the senior side, where he was apparently nicknamed ‘Wazza’ due to his similarities with a young Wayne Rooney.
Speaking to BBC Scotland in 2022, former Celtic full-back Jackie McNamara – Doak’s agent – referred to the teenager as “a Scottish Rooney” and said he had “never seen anything like Ben”.
That impression was made in some way on then manager Ange Postecoglou, who quickly handed him a debut against Dundee United, making him the club’s second youngest player at 16 years and two months.
Four days later, Doak was thrown on for the final few minutes of Celtic’s 3-0 Old Firm win over Rangers.
Lightning quick and fearless, the teenager stood out in those cameo appearances. McNamara felt that would be enough to keep him in Glasgow.
“My whole thing was for Celtic, show the kid you’re going to keep him,” the former Scotland defender said.
“Show him he’s not behind six or seven other players. He doesn’t want to play against Civil Service Strollers in the B team.”
But it wasn’t to be. Celtic’s loss was Liverpool’s gain as Klopp’s charm helped entice the youngster to move south.
On the Premier League club’s pursuit of Doak, McNamara added: “When Ben went down to visit Liverpool, Klopp said: ‘Ah Ben, I’ve seen your stuff’.
“Straight away he was made to feel really welcome.”
‘Ben Doak, oh my god’ – Klopp
Image source, Getty Images
Tommy McIntyre, former Celtic B team manager, said the way in which Doak “approached things was incredible”.
The teenager’s instant impact in Merseyside typifies that.
After lighting up the Uefa Youth League, Doak made his Liverpool debut against Derby in the League Cup in November 2022, then featured in the Premier League for the first time at Aston Villa a month later.
His performances in pre-season last year had Klopp in awe.
“Oh my god” was the post-match reaction of the German after Doak’s display in a friendly against Karlsruher.
A summer in which the youngster thrived resulted in him coming off the bench in Liverpool’s opening day draw at Chelsea.
A further four appearances followed, including three starts in the Europa League group stage, before a meniscus tear ended his campaign in December.
But a recent – and brief – return to first-team training is all Clarke has needed to want to take a closer look at Doak, who has excelled at Scotland youth level.
In a Scotland squad bereft of attacking pace, the teenager will have the opportunity to prove he can be a game-changer for Clarke’s side in pre-Euros friendlies against Gibraltar and Finland.
“Ben has a lot of talent,” the Scotland head coach said. “He catches your eye. Pace is something we haven’t got in abundance.
“I’ve never had the chance to work closely with Ben. It just seemed like the right opportunity to put him in. We’ll have a look and see how he does.”