Ben Doak on Liverpool first team comeback trail as 'really important' youngster makes triumphant scoring return

Former Celtic youth product Ben Doak has been tipped to make more first team appearances for Liverpool.

The 17-year-old has already played five times for the Anfield outfit since making the move to Merseyside last summer, and now could be in line to feature more often. Since transferring down south from Lennoxtown the Scot has earned huge praise from first team stars and may soon line up alongside the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Darwin Núñez and Scotland captain Andy Robertson.

Doak has not featured in the first team since the FA Cup triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers in January due to an injury. He is now back from the medical table and scored two goals and two assists for the under-21s in Saturday’s 7-1 thumping of Leicester City. Doak is now in line to feature for in Liverpool’s UEFA Youth League last-16 tie with Porto on Wednesday evening.

Barry Lewtas, Liverpool academy coach, said: "We work closely with the first-team and our job is to develop the players, put them in an environment where they can flourish. And hopefully then, with the support we have from Pep (Lijnders, assistant-manager) and Vitor (Matos, elite development coach) in particular, we are able to move boys across.

"Ben has done ever so well. It’s okay getting an opportunity and earning it but I think Ben has grabbed it and done ever so well. So, it’s up to him to maintain that. But he’s a real focused boy and I’m sure that he will do."

During Liverpool's Champions League path of the UEFA Youth League Doak featured in their five wins, including two over Rangers. Lewtas added: "Ben was a really important player for us in the group stage, away at Napoli to get it going and then when we went down to 10 men against Rangers - and I think there