Describing Ben Doak’s rise within football as meteoric would be something of an understatement.
The 17-year-old, who joined Liverpool in a £600,000 deal from Celtic last summer, hasn’t taken long to make his mark on Merseyside. For most players who join the Reds’ Academy, patience is key as they work their way up the various age groups. In the case of Doak, his growth has been anything but a drawn-out process.
Making his debut for Liverpool under-18s on August 13, the teenager’s first-team bow arrived only three months later against Derby County in the Carabao Cup. Three days later, he was on the bench for the Reds’ Premier League match with Southampton and followed up this whirlwind period by signing his first professional contract with the club.
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When speaking to the ECHO in November, Liverpool under-21s coach Barry Lewtas admitted the club ‘knew what he was capable of’ before securing his services. Not alone in recognising Doak’s talent from an early stage, the same could also be said for Liam Anderson: a former coach at Ayr United Academy.
Now employed in the United States at Almaden FC, Anderson first worked with Doak in 2014 after Ayr snapped up the forward from his hometown club Dalry Rovers. Recounting the impression created by Liverpool’s summer recruit nine years ago comes naturally to Anderson, who still remembers the moment he knew Ayr had unearthed a unique talent.
“He was great,” the 26-year-old told the ECHO. “When he played for Ayr under-11s, he was actually a year younger. Most of the boys were ten and he was only eight or nine. The way he plays now is the same as it was back then; he had that raw pace, power, a natural eye for goal and was scoring for fun. Ben was playing more as a striker and attitude-wise, he just got on with his job. We never had any problems with him, he was a down-to-earth-boy.
“That Ayr team we had at the time was a pretty good squad. There’s another player from that group, Fraser Bryden, who only recently made his first-team debut for Ayr. Even in a good team like that, Ben was the standout.
“The moment I remember where we thought ‘wow!’ was actually the day Celtic had approached him, Ayr were playing against Hamilton Academical’s Academy. At the time, it was seven-a-side and he played two games back-to-back and must have scored seven goals. He was unplayable that day, against players older than him. He was taking players on, scoring every type of goal and was faster than everyone. You could tell at that early age, he had potential.”
Celtic, indeed, came calling to sign Doak – not that this came as a surprise to those working in the coaching department at Ayr’s Academy. The reputation the youngster had created for himself from a young age ensured this move felt inevitable to Anderson, who quickly recognised Doak was destined for greatness.
“Ben left us when he was nine and you couldn’t sign a contract until you were ten years old,” he explained. “Most of the boys Ben was playing with had already signed a deal because they were old enough, but Ben wasn’t at that stage. When we saw the Celtic scout, who I believe was Jim Beggan, we knew quickly it was probably Ben he was watching. Jim was at that game versus Hamilton and it was then only a matter of time before he was going to approach Ben and his family to go to Celtic.
“I’m sure when he was at Celtic, he went to his own age group but then progressed to higher age categories. That shows how well he has done wherever he's been and that he is more than capable and confident of playing against older, stronger opponents.”
Doak, who grew up as a Celtic fan, was handed a maiden senior appearance in January 2022 but it was announced just two months later he would be heading to Liverpool. Making your first-team debut, by the age of 16, for two clubs of Celtic and Liverpool’s stature is an achievement most players could only dream of, so how has this journey been made possible?
“He was humble, even at an early age,” shared Anderson. “He has had a good upbringing with his mum and dad living in Dalry, which is a small town. I met him a couple of years after he left for Celtic and asked him how it was going, he told me he was enjoying it but that it was tough with the extra traveling he had to do and playing at a higher level - but he was still determined to make it. He’s done that, and it’s down to his perseverance of going somewhere like Celtic and then to Liverpool, where he has moved to away from his family. That’s testament to his attitude, work-rate and desire.
“I wasn’t surprised he left Celtic for Liverpool because even though Celtic is a huge club, it is hard to turn a team like Liverpool down. You’re playing for one of the biggest teams in Europe and the opportunities down there are endless if you make the right impression. He has made a big jump already, making his first-team debut in such a short period of time.”
Having already featured for Jurgen Klopp’s side in the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup, a further opportunity could be forthcoming this evening when the Reds face Wolves at Molineux.
Earning the nickname of the ‘Scottish Rooney’ from his agent, it is clear to see how highly thought of the Scotland U21 international is. It is very much down to Doak, however, to continue proving the hype is justified.
“I think that is a great comparison,” responded Anderson to Doak’s Scottish Rooney tag. “When I coached him, he was very much a Rooney-type player. Even though he was a bit smaller, he still pushed players off the ball and banged in goals for fun.
“What happens next in his career is completely up to him. He has got the potential to be a top player and break his way into Liverpool’s first-team. The next step for him will be to get in the Scottish national team, which some people back home are already calling for. The world is at his feet and he has the potential to play at the highest level. I’m sure someone like Andy Robertson has been a great mentor for him at Liverpool, too.
“I am very proud, not of myself as a coach, but of Ben and how well he is doing. I still keep in contact with him and get updates on how he is doing. I played such a minuscule part in his development so I am certainly not taking any credit at all, it’s all down to him and his family. I know how difficult moving away from home can be, as a Scot now living and working in America, but the fact he has taken it in his stride is extremely impressive.”
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