Ben Doak backed to complete January move after Liverpool deal agreed – pundit
Alan Hutton has backed Liverpool rising star Ben Doak to go on loan after the club agreed to sign Cody Gakpo.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Rangers and Premier League defender insisted Doak needs an opportunity to play football and aid his development.
The 17-year-old came off the bench to make his Premier League debut in Liverpool’s 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Monday (26 December).
Just hours later, PSV Eindhoven announced they had agreed a fee with Liverpool for Gakpo and have granted him permission to head to Merseyside to finalise a move worth an initial £37million.
Doak has been impressing Merseyside staff and fans since his shining performance against Derby County in the EFL Cup last month.
The youngster travelled with Jurgen Klopp’s side to Dubai for their mid-season training camp.
As quoted by the Liverpool Echo (17 December), the German hailed Doak as a “natural force”.
When asked if it could be time for Doak to look at a loan move, Hutton told Football Insider: “Yes, definitely.
“I think Klopp sees him in the Liverpool starting lineup in the future, but maybe not at this moment in time because they are going to bring in different players from different positions to strengthen right now.
“Players like Doak are obviously the future, but the opportunity has to be there for them to go out and play football on loan. But it has to be the right club, it has to fit their style of football. I expect it to happen if the right club is found.“
Doak has made five appearances for Liverpool in the U18 Premier League.
He has scored two goals and provided two assists in those outings.
In other news, according to Kieran Maguire, FSG are set to bank ‘£300m’ windfall amid new Liverpool takeover twist.