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Liverpool loanee Ben Doak scores first goal for Middlesbrough on first start

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Liverpool loanee Ben Doak couldn't have asked for a better start to his full debut for Middlesbrough as the teenager scored in the first half of Boro's Championship game against Stoke City.

The 18-year-old Scot came off the bench for the North East side in its matches against Preston and Sunderland earlier in September, but was handed his first start at the Riverside by manager Michael Carrick.

Middlesbrough midfielder Riley McGree can take a huge chunk of credit for Doak's goal after his long-range effort was parried out to Doak, who, like all good attackers, was in the right place at the right time to tap the ball into an empty net.

Doak played for Liverpool during the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States, appearing in games against Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United off the bench, before featuring for 90 minutes in a friendly against Las Palmas at Anfield. However, he was not included in either of Arne Slot's matchday squads for the Premier League games against Ipswich and Brentford at the start of the season, and was loaned to Boro during the final week of the summer transfer window.

Doak was handed his Liverpool debut by Jurgen Klopp during the 2022-23 season, and went on to make five appearances that season, before making another five appearances last term. The teenager suffered a serious knee injury last December which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign, and also ended his chances of appearing at the European Championship with Scotland.

Doak was asked in August whether he felt the need to 'make up for lost time' this season after missing so much football in 2024. He told club media: "I wouldn’t say lost time, who knows if I would have played? Obviously in my mind I’d like to think that I would have. But I can’t look back at last season because it’s last season, I need to look at this season and just try to get as many appearances on the board as possible."

On new Liverpool manager Arne Slot, he added: "To be honest, he’s very similar to Klopp in terms of similar ideas, but the style of play is a little bit different. He is very demanding, he wants everything to be as close to perfect as possible. That’s good for us as players because it helps us get better. Even if we don’t like it at times, he’ll tell us what we don’t want to hear."