Future at Liverpool? The next Salah?
Doak may be 19 years old, but he already has a huge resume of coaches he’s worked under in a short amount of time.
He has a former Premier League winner in Carrick as his current mentor, with Ange Postecoglou handing the striker his first-team debut at Celtic, while Jurgen Klopp did the same at Liverpool in November 2022.
Klopp’s Liverpool have occasionally been known as ‘mentality monsters’ and it is no surprise that Doak fits the bill in the first team environment.
The German was heard describing the winger as “Scotland’s present and future” during a training session last year – and Doak’s mentality has caught on for a while.
“He was never a player who messed around and carried on,” Anderson says. “He was very down to earth, always wanting to learn and always listening.”
This mentality is needed in the Championship. As defenders notice his pace, the Scotsman has learned to deal strongly with aggression.
After Doak was on the receiving end of a nasty challenge from Oxford Utd’s Elliott Moore last month, Carrick said the striker “has to learn to deal with it”.
“Even at this level he could be aggressive high tackles and tackles and because he was such a quick player he would obviously get fouled – no matter how hard the tackle was he would just get straight up and pull his socks up.
“He had his aggressive side in the right way, mentally he was very strong at such a young age. So it’s no surprise he’s doing so well, he’s got that mentality.”
It’s that mindset that could stand Doak in good stead, particularly at Liverpool. The Scotland international is likely to land a place in Slot’s first team next summer – with the right winger position under pressure with Mohamed Salah’s contract situation.
“There are those who are doing so well at Middlesbrough that he could be Salah’s replacement – those are huge shoes to fill,” says Anderson.
“But with his mindset and his trajectory and where he’s going right now, the sky’s the limit for him. He has the potential to go on and become a world-class player – you hear ex-players and pundits say the same thing. If they see it…
With Middlesbrough and Scotland, it’s clear that Doak isn’t too dissimilar to Salah in style: a winger who likes to set up teammates as much as score goals.
But heed the reminder that Doak still has a long way to go – and that he’s still a small boy compared to his potential.
“With the Scotland team, I can see he’s very passionate as well – his celebrations when he scores or assists, he’s still celebrating like he’s scoring a goal,” says Anderson.
“There are definitely traits from a nine-year-old that he still has now.”
Watch Burnley v Middlesbrough live on Sky Sports this Friday from 19:00, kick-off 20:00
