Ben “the Scottish Wayne Rooney” Doak proved Ange Postecoglou wrong at Liverpool

What a summer it could turn out to be for Ben Doak. Having been injured since December, the 18-year-old’s remarkable rise could still continue at Euro 2024.

Doak was a surprise inclusion in Steve Clarke’s provisional Scotland squad for the Germany tour. He is joined by Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson, who of course captains his national team.

The 28-man squad will be reduced to 26 for the tournament, so Doak’s place in the final set-up is not yet assured. If he manages to book his place on the plane to Germany, it will cap a remarkable two years since joining Liverpool.

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Nicknamed ‘Wazza’ during his time at Celtic in direct comparison to Wayne Rooney, who burst onto the scene as a youngster, Doak first caught the eye when he became the Glasgow club’s second-youngest player at just 16 years and two months. It wasn’t just his team-mates who gave him the nickname though – his agent Jackie McNamara even referred to him as the ‘Scottish Rooney’ when speaking to then Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.

With a nickname like that, it was inevitable that Premier League clubs would come calling. Postecoglou did everything he could to convince Doak that he was already at the best club for his development.

Speaking about Doak and fellow youngster Karamoko Dembele, Postecoglou said (via Celtic TV): “With Karamoko and Ben – they’re in a similar boat, it’s also about their future and where they see their future.

“I’ve always said that for me, this football club is everything a young player should want. Especially at this moment. I really want to bring young players into the first team and give them an opportunity like I have already done.”

But Postecoglou’s assurances weren’t enough to convince Doak once Liverpool came calling and he moved to Anfield in the summer of 2022. As it turns out, the teenager managed to prove his old manager wrong.

Doak has gone from strength to strength since moving to Merseyside. After shining in the academy, it didn’t take long for him to be called up for a senior debut in November 2022.

A first Premier League appearance followed a month later against Aston Villa and Jürgen Klopp continued to give the youngster opportunities until a torn meniscus ended his 2023/24 campaign early. But even that didn’t stop his progress.

A recent return to training was enough to convince Clarke that the time was right to hand Doak his first senior Scotland call-up. If he gets the chance at this summer’s Euros, he will aim to live up to his Celtic nickname.