One of Liverpool’s up-and-coming young starlets has revealed which senior teammate at Anfield has been a mentor to him.
Ben Doak has been one of the standout players for the Reds in pre-season, scoring in Sunday’s 4-0 win against Leicester, and he’s hailed the advice which has been given to him by positional peer Mo Salah.
Speaking to LFC TV (via Glasgow Times), the 17-year-old said of the Egyptian superstar: “What’s not to like? He’s one of the best in the world, he has been for a few years.
“I can just soak it all up, try and take everything I can from him. It just feels really good to score in front of all the fans. I’m obviously trying to do my best and improve us as well.”
Doak continued: “It feels night and day from this time last year. Still a long way to go, I’m just trying to improve as a player again. I want to play as many games as possible.”
When it comes to sources for inspiration for a young player at Liverpool, it’s hard to top Salah.
The 31-year-old has been consistently brilliant at Anfield ever since his arrival in 2017, with a phenomenal haul of 186 goals placing him joint-fifth on the club’s list of all-time top scorers (lfchistory.net).
Whatever advice the Egyptian has been giving to Doak seems to be working a treat, with the Scottish teenager getting on the scoresheet yesterday and, in the words of journalist Neil Jones, ‘made a real impression’ during the Reds’ pre-season.
The 17-year-old has still only played in five first-team games for Liverpool, with his total game-time amounting to one hour (Transfermarkt), and with Salah nailing down the right-sided attacking role, the youngster will play the part of aspiring backup during the season ahead.
However, he’s looking increasingly ready to be thrust into action whenever the Egyptian is unavailable (as will be the case for the Africa Cup of Nations next winter) or given a rest.
Doak just needs to keep up what he’s been doing and take in every bit of advice given to him by the best possible mentor he could wish for at Anfield.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones