Liverpool loanee suffers injury setback after January transfer decision made
On-loan Liverpool star Ben Doak has suffered an injury setback and will miss the next few weeks.
The Scotsman is enjoying a stellar season at Middlesbrough and has provided three goals and seven assists from 24 Championship appearances. However, he wasn’t involved at the Riverside on transfer deadline day as Boro fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Sunderland.
It’s a result that leaves Middlesbrough seventh in the table and a huge 17 points off the automatic promotion places. But that wasn’t the only frustrating news, with manager Michael Carrick confirming his side will be without Doak for the next few weeks.
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“He just felt his thigh during the week in training,” the former Manchester United midfielder was quoted by Teeside Live. “We'll see how it is. It won't be a few days, it will be longer. Probably weeks, not ages but yeah, it won't be days.”
Monday’s game was the first Doak has missed for Boro since November and, prior to the Sunderland match, he had started 15 of the last 16 matches.
Doak, who has made 10 senior appearances for Liverpool, reportedly attracted attention from Premier League sides Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Bournemouth in January, but remained with Middlesbrough.
Carrick confirmed two weeks ago that Doak would not be leaving the club during the winter window and now the big question is whether he can force his way into Arne Slot’s first-team plans this summer. If not, another loan might beckon or Liverpool could be tempted to cash in on the coveted winger.
Doak has played all six Scotland games this season and was a regular off the bench for Liverpool in Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign on Merseyside. A knee injury curtailed his season in December and the loan move to Middlesbrough has been seen as a huge success for both clubs and the player.
The teenager joined Liverpool from Celtic in 2022 and is the youngest-ever Scottish player to play in the Premier League.
As for Middlesbrough, it had a busy end to the transfer window with Emmanuel Latte Lath leaving to sign for Atlanta United. Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Iling-Junior joined on loan, while Boro were also linked with a late move for Liverpool’s Tyler Morton. A transfer didn’t materialize, however, and the midfielder will remain part of Slot’s squad until the end of the season.
