Jurgen Klopp has waxed lyrical about Ben Doak’s unique qualities as he branded him a “special boy”.
The Liverpool manager namechecked the ex-Celtic youth star as he delivered an update on the emerging talents catching the eye at Anfield, naming the Scotland Under-21 international amongst the likes of Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Elliott.
The 17-year-old Scottish winger has burst onto the scene this season, stunning fans in five first appearances including a dazzling display in the FA Cup against Wolves. And Klopp has been left impressed with his direct pace and power earning him top praise from the legendary boss.
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The German manager said: "From the very young ones I think definitely Stefan [Bajcetic] is the standout player, that was exceptional. Played like a man, unfortunately in a kid’s body and then the intensity caught him if you want. But anyway the signs he gave us are super, super-promising.
"Ben Doak, obviously nice signs, he’s with us in training again. Special boy, really confident, has something nobody else delivers really, this kind of dribbling, this kind of straight-forward bravery, all these kind of things.
“Then of course Harvey [Elliott] always played a lot of games for us, played for us a lot of games in a not-so-good period; still very, very young so couldn’t keep it up on the highest level but showed again super, super signs.
“It will only go in one direction, that’s forward definitely. And then Curtis [Jones], that we got him back was super-important. I think everybody saw that.
“It’s a long road to become your best version because you are young, big expectations, massive criticism from outside, all these kinds of things, and to find your way through that is not easy.
“And I’m really happy that Curtis could finally do that, super-important for us, obviously, our own boy making these big steps. That’s cool. We have a lot of other young players but I think these are the youngest if I’m right.”
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