Ben Doak sent 'Liverpool start' message by Middlesbrough team-mate

Tommy Conway is not the least bit surprised at how Middlesbrough team-mate Ben Doak has taken to international football, after seeing the Scotland star shine on Teesside.

The 19-year-old has impressed for Michael Carrick's side since signing on loan from Liverpool in the summer, and has taken that form to the international stage, with an excellent performance in Friday's 1-0 win over Croatia.

The winger gave Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol a torrid time and outshone the likes of Luca Modric, setting up John McGinn for the winning goal. Fellow Boro new boy Conway can't praise his impact highly enough at both club and country level, and expects big things from Doak in the future.

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“I’ve put my arm around Doakie and looked after him a bit," Conway said ahead of tonight's game against Poland in Warsaw. "But he has taken to it here at Boro like a duck to water. I can’t say enough about him. He’s like what he is on the pitch off it as well – he’s electric. The boy’s always at it. Hopefully we can both take that on to the international stage and cause carnage there.

“When Doakie is dribbling with the ball, going at someone, you just know something’s going to happen. And as a striker myself, that’s what I want. He’s going to chuck in a stepover, get to the byline and put in a cross, which is great for me.

“He can do that for Scotland as well. You saw it in the last camp. I watched the Croatia game where he gave Gvardiol a hard time. When Doakie came back, he joked that he had him in his pocket. That sums him up.

“His pace and skill is there for everyone to see. He’s still a young boy with so much to learn but he has never lacked confidence. He thinks he should start every game for Scotland. As a footballer, you have to think like that.

“He started against Croatia and Portugal and was buzzing because they’re top sides. That will definitely stand him in good stead. You can tell Doakie has been around a first-team environment for a long time. He knows how to handle himself in a changing room, which can be hard at times.

“He’ll go back to Liverpool thinking he should start and that’s credit to his character. When you have that mentality it’s going to happen. When he eventually goes back there I expect him to get in the team.”

Doak and Conway and have been two of Boro's standout summer arrivals, with the latter taking his goal tally to five for the season with his striker against QPR, while Doak now has three assists and one goal after a superb display in the 5-1 win over Luton Town.