Liverpool told they have a ‘fantastic talent’ on their books who could be even better than Morgan Rogers

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Liverpool can boast some wonderful young players who are coming through at the club.

The Reds’ first-team currently has two players who came all the way through the academy to make over 100 appearances for the club.

In the case of Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has played more than 300 games for Liverpool, while Curtis Jones will soon reach the 150 mark.

Both Alexander-Arnold and Jones are relatively unique in the fact that they never spent any time away from Anfield out on-loan.

For other youngsters, the path to the Liverpool squad can be a little more varied.

Loans can often be the bridge between a prospect realising – or not realising – his talent. And in the instance of flying winger Ben Doak, the early signs are that he will very much fall into the former category.

Ben Doak lighting things up at Middlesborough

Doak has had a frustrating time of things over the past 18 months or so. Having broken into the Liverpool senior set-up under Jurgen Klopp, injuries have since limited the 18-year-old to just 10 appearances.

Despite that number being smaller than it ought to, Doak’s potential has been clear to see for anyone who has watched.

That has continued at Middlesborough this season, where Doak has become a key player for Michael Carrick. And speaking exclusively to Rousing The Kop, journalist and Boro expert Graeme Bailey says the teenager has been absolutely terrific at the Riverside so far.

“He’s a fantastic talent, he really is and I think he does fit in with what Liverpool will do,” says Bailey. “I understand that the Middlesborough hierarchy are worried about the possibility of a recall. There is a recall option there.

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“I don’t think Liverpool are looking at that option right now but they’re maybe only an injury away from that.”

Having also seen current Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers play for Boro in 2022/23, fans of the club have a good recent reference point for Doak’s talents. But according to Bailey, the Liverpool man could be an even bigger talent than his predecessor.

“Everyone talks about Morgan Rogers, but Rogers was on the fringes of the Middlesborough first-team really and rarely showed anything like Ben Doak has done,” he says.

Should Liverpool recall Ben Doak?

With Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota out injured, the temptation is certainly there for Liverpool to exercise their recall option on Doak.

The teenager could provide an injection of pace and urgency into the front line and could be almost like a new signing in January.

However, the flipside of that is that when Chiesa and Jota are fit, Arne Slot will once again have six senior forwards to pick from. Doak will surely not get a look in.

As a result, we’d suggest that no matter how well he does at Boro, Doak should stay there until the end of the season. Regular game time in a competitive and physical league will only stand him in good stead for his Liverpool future.