Liverpool might have pulled off their best piece of January business so far as Michael Carrick makes Ben Doak admission

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Ben Doak has been arguably Liverpool’s most impressive loan story this season, with the winger thriving with Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Managed by former Manchester United star Michael Carrick, the Scottish international has been on a tear in the English second-tier this campaign, with Doak scoring a sensational goal for Middlesbrough this week as Liverpool were cruising to victory against LOSC Lille.

With Doak attracting interest from Crystal Palace, though, there has been a feeling in the air that Liverpool could recall the teenage attacker to make a quick profit in selling the youngster to the Eagles to invest in the squad this January.

Yet Liverpool intend to keep Doak ahead of this summer’s pre-season training camp, and Carrick’s latest comments on the former Celtic man’s immediate future this January could end up being the best decision Liverpool end up making this month.

READ MORE: Liverpool staff impressed by on-loan youngster as well as Ben Doak this season

Carrick confirms Doak will stay at Middlesbrough on loan

Speaking to the press, Carrick confirmed that the deadline for Liverpool to trigger their recall clause for Doak had passed, with the manager saying: “The deadline has passed for Ben, I said along I was calm! Obviously we’re really happy he’s here, but genuinely, it hasn’t been a big thing for us.”

With Middlesbrough originally confident that Doak would remain at the Riverside Stadium until the end of the season, Carrick’s confirmation that the winger will indeed stay is huge for both Boro and their promotion chances and for Liverpool.

As we know, the Reds are heading towards something akin to a crisis in the attacking department this summer, with Saudi Arabian clubs interested in signing Darwin Nunez with Luis Diaz a top target for FC Barcelona.

With Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future also unresolved, having a ready-built replacement in Doak to call upon could be huge for the Anfield side in their quest to rebuild their attack under Arne Slot, and the forward remaining at Middlesbrough for the remainder of this season is the perfect transfer decision.

Doak has earned rave reviews at Middlesbrough this season

At 19-years-old, Doak is very much at the start of his senior football career, with Middlesbrough proving to be the ideal club for the Liverpool teenager to develop his game and to hone in his talents heading into next season with the Reds.

As well as a solid return on the goal contributions front, the Scotland international has earned rave reviews for his performances at Boro, with Doak lauded for making the Championship look like a ‘playground’.

Indeed, Liverpool made the right call in keeping Doak at Middlesbrough, where heading into the second-half of the season the winger will want to take his game to a new level and to show the likes of Slot he deserves a place with the Reds later this year.