‘Arne Slot handed simple Doak decision’ after Liverpool pre-season evidence
Ben Doak’s future has been a source of plenty of speculation at Liverpool this summer.
The 19-year-old spent a large part of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, before an injury cut short his impressive stint on Teeside.
Doak has been back at Liverpool for pre-season, and he has been part of a contingent of youngsters who have been handed regular opportunities to feature by Arne Slot so far.
The Scottish international has been earmarked as an impressive talent at Anfield for some time now, but he is at the stage where a decision needs to be made regarding the next steps for his career.
Liverpool need to sell Doak after evidence v AC Milan
Doak has been heavily linked with an exit from Liverpool this summer, as several Premier League sides have shown an interest in signing the winger.
Everton have been part of that contingent, and their interest sparked suggestions that the youngster could be the first player to leave to join the Toffees for over 20 years.
The Reds had set an asking price of £25million for Doak, and looked likely to face a potentially difficult dilemma regarding the former Celtic man’s future.
However, Slot and Co. may have just had that decision made for them following the wideman’s showing in the friendly against AC Milan.
The 19-year-old played the entirety of the second half, but failed to have any impact on the game whatsoever as the Merseysiders fell to a 4-2 defeat to the Italian giants.
Doak registered just 17 touches, the lowest of any Liverpool player, and they didn’t come in dangerous areas of the pitch, with just four of them coming inside the Milan box.
He played just nine accurate passes during his 45 minutes on the pitch, and was largely anonymous for Slot’s side, apart from a header which was saved in stoppage time.
| Minutes | 45 |
| Touches | 17 |
| Accurate Passes | 9/13 |
| Shots on Target | 1 |
| Tackles Won | – |
| Duels Won | 1/3 |
It may be harsh to judge a young player based on pre-season performances, but it was clear to see that Doak is not at the level to compete in European competitions, which is now really the only calibre of player that the champions need.
Doak’s sale would make way for Ngumoha
Rio Ngumoha has been one of the emerging stars of Liverpool’s summer, and it may make sense for the Reds to move Doak on in order to clear space for their new starlet.
The 16-year-old is the latest talent to catch the eye for Liverpool, and it would be no surprise to see him fast-tracked into the first team squad within the next couple of seasons.
Ngumoha has a three-year age advantage on Doak, and that extra room to develop could provide a telling difference this summer.
Doak has impressed in the Championship and is undoubtedly ready to step into the Premier League, but he isn’t at the level required to have an impact for Liverpool.
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