Ex-Celtic teen dubbed 'serious player' by EFL legend as eye-catching skill noted during midweek win

Ben Doak has been lauded as a ‘serious player’ after he celebrated his Scotland call-up with another eye-catching display for Middlesbrough.

Signed on a season-long loan from Liverpool last month, the teenager was named in Steve Clarke’s squad for Scotland’s Nations League double-header against Croatia and Portugal on Monday and will hope to push for a starting spot after a strong start at the Riverside Stadium.

He scored the first goal of his professional career in the 2-0 weekend win over Stoke City, and made another big impression last night when he starred in the 1-0 win over EFL Championship high-fliers West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. A second-half strike from former Scotland under-21 international Hayden Hackney secured all three points for the Teessiders,

The victory in the Midlands was their first back-to-back league wins this season, and comes following the introduction of Doak to the starting XI. Heralded for another lively display, the local Teesside media said his ‘varied style of attack’ meant the previously unbeaten Baggies had to ‘think about him’ all night.

The ex-Celtic academy talent was heavily involved in his side’s winning goal, feeding Riley McGree the ball that allowed him to assist Hackney. A real livewire, Doak also created two further chances for his team-mates, including on excellent infield pass to Finn Azaz that should have resulted in a goal in the first-half.

His performance saw him singled out for special praise by the opposition, with West Brom legend Tony Brown pinpointing Doak as Boro’s key player. ‘Bomber’ Brown, who scored a club record 279 goals in 720 games for the Baggies, said the 18-year-old “looks a serious player,”, adding fans should “look out for that little lollipop trick he does, one foot over the other and then he crosses. He is one to look out for, one to watch.”