Liverpool's Ben Doak made an instant impact for Scotland on Thursday - the young Liverpool winger is set up nicely for a big season on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough.
Ben Doak is yet to make his Middlesbrough debut after moving to the Championship side on loan from Liverpool this summer but he made an instant impact with his country, Scotland, during its defeat against Poland.
Just five minutes after coming off the bench to replace Kenny McClean, Doak drove forward with the ball and played in Anthony Ralston, who set up Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay to make it 2-2 on the night. A late Nicola Zalewski penalty kick secured a 3-2 win for Poland after Grant Hanley committed a foul inside the area.
Doak completed five out of his six passes on the night. And while the 18-year-old wasn't heavily involved in the game, he made a telling impact with one of his first touches — his direct running and raw speed telling you everything you need to know about his game.
Loan Move for Doak
Liverpool has six senior attackers on its books at the moment, meaning it made complete sense for Doak to head out on loan. Given he is working under the highly-rated Michael Carrick, it could be the ideal switch.
The Reds have not often sent the best of its young talents out on loan in the past, but Harvey Elliott was hugely successful with Blackburn Rovers before coming back and making an impact for Liverpool at senior level. As well as Doak, Kaide Gordon has also headed out to the second tier with Norwich City.
Liverpool.com says: Doak has loads of quality and a good season with Middlesbrough could see plenty of transfer interest emerge in him next summer. With Federico Chiesa having been signed by the Reds, the competition for places at Anfield was too much for him right now, so leaving was the right decision.
Beyond this year, though, he will need to showcase a substantial level of end product to get up to the level that Liverpool requires in the long term, with Mohamed Salah not set to be around forever. Doak has all the raw ability but that now needs to translate into regular goals and assists.
Doak's Debut
Ben Doak made his senior international debut for Scotland on Thursday night.
The 18-year-old winger, who last week sealed a season-long loan switch to Middlesbrough, stepped off the bench in the 71st minute of his country's 3-2 defeat by Poland in their UEFA Nations League opener.
Andy Robertson captained the Scots and played the entirety of the Hampden Park contest, which saw the hosts beaten by an injury-time penalty after earlier recovering from a 2-0 deficit.
Elsewhere in the Nations League, Conor Bradley was a starter for Northern Ireland as he helped them defeat Luxembourg 2-0.
Diogo Jota was a late substitute for Portugal in a 2-1 victory over Croatia.
Doak's Debut Impact
Liverpool eyes were mainly on Andy Robertson when Scotland hosted Poland in their opening game in the Nations League at Hampden Park.
The full-back was captaining his country once more in Glasgow, after making his 300th appearance for Liverpool on Sunday, but it was a Reds team-mate who later stole the show.
Robertson was unable to stop Poland racing into a two-goal lead at Hampden, as Scotland made their first ever appearance in League A. Sebastian Szymanski put the visitors ahead in the eighth minute, before Robert Lewandowski made it 2-0 from the penalty spot just before half-time.
Scotland pulled a goal back through Billy Gilmour immediately after the interval, before boss Steve Clarke played his wild card.
Clarke summoned 18-year-old Liverpool star Ben Doak from the bench for his senior Scotland debut in the 71st minute, bringing him on alongside Ryan Gauld.
Last week he joined Championship side Middlesbrough on a season-long loan to gain experience, after previously looking set for a switch to Hull City, and he was clearly buoyed by that move as he took to the field at Hampden.
Just four minutes after coming on, Doak picked up the ball on the right-hand side and played his part in a move that led to Scott McTominay making it 2-2. A late Nicola Zalewski spot-kick ultimately gave Poland victory, but Doak had made his mark.
What's Next?
Elsewhere in the same group, Diogo Jota came on as an 88th-minute substitute for Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal beat Croatia. Jota, Robertson and Doak will meet on Sunday when Portugal host Scotland.
Conor Bradley, a substitute for Trent Alexander-Arnold when the right-back starred at Old Trafford on Sunday, played for Northern Ireland as they won 2-0 at home to Luxembourg in League C.
