Steve Clarke should be seriously thinking about integrating Ben Doak into the senior Scotland squad just like Jurgen Klopp has done at Liverpool.
That's the view of former Tartan Army goalkeeper Rab Douglas, who believes that the Reds' rising teenage star is already at a stage where he can make a meaningful impact.
Doak only turned 17 in November, but after impressing since joining Liverpool's youth set-up from Celtic in the summer, has already made three first team appearances as a substitute, including his Premier League debut against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. The skilful forward has represented his country at U16, U17 and U21 level, but Arbroath coach Douglas thinks the time is already right to award him his first full cap.
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Writing in his column for The Courier, Douglas said: "On the subject of Scotland, I hope Ben Doak gets called up for the full squad in the spring. Let’s get him involved as early as possible.
"Jurgen Klopp is trusting him to come off the bench in the Premiership and FA Cup so that tells its own story. I don’t want to put too much pressure on a 17-year-old but anybody who watched him make an impact against Wolves the other night can see that he’s a very talented young forward.
"Sometimes a player comes through who doesn’t need to spend much time in the under-21s. Let’s hope Ben is one of those."
Liverpool paid Celtic £600,000 to capture the services of Doak in March last year, with his eye-catching performances in the UEFA Youth League putting him firmly in the picture for a call-up to the senior squad. The Dalry-born player was rewarded with a first full professional contract on his 17th birthday.
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