Ben Doak 'dreams' of Scotland fast track from Steve Clarke but Liverpool wonderkid leaves ball in boss' court

Ben Doak admits he’s living the dream with Liverpool after his meteoric rise to fame and is happy to wait for an inevitable Scotland call-up.

And he believes that working with some of the world’s best players at Anfield has improved his game hugely. The former Celtic winger made his competitive debut for Scotland Under 21s this week in the opening Euro 2025 qualifier. Doak lit up the game with his electrifying runs in the first half in particular and terrorised the Spanish defence with his pace and skills.

At one point, he was even applauded by the sell-out crowd in Jaen after producing an outrageous dummy and he was mobbed after the game by Spanish fans looking for autographs and selfies. At just 17, Doak has burst onto the scene after making a huge impact for the Anfield club on their pre-season tours and was praised by manager Jurgen Klopp during the summer. He signed from Celtic last year with the Hoops receiving £600,000 in training compensation.

He came on as a sub for Mo Salah on the opening day of the season at Chelsea and that’s led to calls for Steve Clarke to fast-track him into the senior squad with the Euros looming next summer. However, Doak is happy to be guided by whatever Clarke and Under 21s boss Scot Gemmill decide on what is best for the youngster, who was used as a striker for the young Scots in their 1-0 defeat in Andalusia.

He said: “Of course, I would love to play for Scotland. It would be the stuff of dreams for me. But the manager will know if and when I am ready and I can only go on what he decides.

“I hit the ground running in pre-season and I have kept training with the Liverpool first team Obviously, although you do need games in your career, but you don’t really need matches at Liverpool