Ben Doak says £34m Liverpool player has been brilliant with him behind the scenes

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Liverpool youngster Ben Doak looks set for another opportunity to lay down a marker in the Europa League tomorrow.

The 18-year-old has had a stop-start season so far, with injury limiting him to just four appearances. But on each of those four occasions, Doak hasn’t looked out of place among much more senior players.

And from his comments to liverpoolfc.com today, it appears that those more senior players have been key to making the youngster look and feel like he belongs. According to Doak, one superstar in particular has been especially helpful.

“Mo’s really helped me out a lot especially,” said the Scotland U21 star. “But they’re all good, they all give their input, they all give what they think and I take it all in.

“Again [with] Mo, he’s really good at this – no matter how the game is going, he always ends up being in the right place, he always ends up nicking a goal.

“Whether he’s not playing his best or whether he’s the best player on the pitch, he always ends up scoring. That’s what I’m striving to be like.”

Doak tips hat to Salah

It’s no surprise to hear Doak single out Salah as someone who has gone out of his way to help him.

The Egyptian has been hailed by a number of Liverpool youngster coming through, with Harvey Elliott especially effusive of him.

Although he’s a real global star of the game, there’s no pretence with Salah. He doesn’t demand special attention and always seems to go the extra mile with his teammates.

Coupled with his obvious quality on the pitch, this has made Mo truly invaluable within Liverpool.

It’s why – although they’d have made a huge profit on the £34m they paid for him – Liverpool were right to turn down a massive bid from Saudi Arabia over the summer.

As for Doak, there’s obviously a heck of a lot he could learn from Salah. For a young player coming through, there really isn’t a better role model.

The two do have different games, although at one time Mo was also a lightning-quick teenaged forward with plenty of hype around him. Learning how to manage that expectation might be one of the best lessons Liverpool’s No.11 can pass on to Doak.

Hopefully they’ll be playing together for a few years yet. But with rumours that Salah may leave at the season’s end still rife, Ben should soak up as much as he can.