Ben Doak was linked with Nottingham Forest in January and at the weekend he enjoyed a very memorable outing for the Liverpool under-21s. The gem who came through the Celtic youth system was part of the team that thrashed Leicester 7-1 at the training ground.
Doak is a wonderfully talented footballer. He’s already made his debut in the senior ranks at Anfield; featuring for 24 minutes in the Premier League during 2022/23 and also making appearances in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
The tricky winger has been with the under-21s for a little while now though. He’s recently returned from an injury problem and Jurgen Klopp will treat him with the relevant care and attention.
Forest were considering a loan move for Doak during January. Perhaps it was deemed that a Premier League loan move was too soon for a player who is still just 17-years-old.
Doak can play on either flank and simply loves to take players on. It did come as a bit of a surprise when Liverpool opted to sign him, leaving Celtic stunned to lose a top talent.
In total, the youngster has scored 10 goals and claimed eight assists this season. His development looks intriguing and perhaps he will remain on the radar of Forest.
Doak was linked with Forest and he enjoyed a memorable performance on Saturday
It truly was a memorable performance for the youngster at the weekend. He scored twice in the thrashing of Leicester and also created two in the way of assists. For good measure, he was also cautioned.
The Liverpool Echo called his performance ‘sensational’; whilst under-21 boss Barry Lewtas said: “He was a real threat for us. I thought he was excellent.”
It was always going to be ambitious for Forest to loan him during January. He would have taken up the final domestic loan place and at 17, Liverpool were always going to tread with caution.
The future could be different though. The next step in the player’s development does look to be a loan and perhaps Forest will look to pounce if he becomes available in coming transfer windows.