Liverpool have decided to reward Ben Doak’s ‘outstanding development’ with a new long-term contract.
James Pearce shared on Tuesday evening, noting the Scot’s progress in pre-season and, in particular, his ‘attitude and work ethic’ in training since being promoted to the first-team setup.
“This new contract on improved terms is reward for Doak’s outstanding development since he arrived from Celtic just over a year ago,” the reporter wrote for The Athletic.
“The fearless teenage winger has impressed staff and senior players alike with his attitude and work ethic as well as his talent since he was promoted to the first-team squad last season having initially made the leap from the under-18s to the under-21s.
“Doak really caught the eye for Jurgen Klopp’s side in pre-season and the Europa League campaign is set to provide him with further opportunities to really showcase his ability.
“He’s learning from the best around in Mohamed Salah and he believes he’s in the best possible environment to fulfill his rich potential.”
Though the former Celtic prodigy has limited opportunities to prove his worth so far this season (barring a brief cameo in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea), the future remains very bright for the 17-year-old.
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Liverpool won’t want to put too much pressure on Doak
Pearce is most certainly on the money when pointing out the rich experience available in the current squad from which to learn, with the likes of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and, especially, Mo Salah all examples to look up to.
With speculation rife over the latter’s future in the summer amid an onslaught of links to the Saudi Pro League (not to mention an actual bid around the £100m mark), there has been some curiosity within the fanbase as to whether Doak’s potential could earmark him as a possible long-term successor to the Egyptian King.
The teenager is quite a while away from being granted any such responsibility, of course, even should he shine in this year’s Europa League campaign and our talismanic No.11 depart the club next summer.
Nonetheless, you can be sure this is a talent Jurgen Klopp and his coaching team will be keeping a very close eye on over the coming months – and rightly so.