Michael Carrick offers update on Ben Doak and says Liverpool wonderkid's being targeted
Liverpool wonderkid Ben Doak has impressed on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough so far this season and manager Michael Carrick believes he is now being specifically targeted by opposition teams
by Matthew Cooper · The MirrorMiddlesbrough boss Michael Carrick believes on-loan Liverpool star Ben Doak is being targeted after a string of impressive performances.
Doak joined Middlesbrough over the summer, with the 19-year-old challenged to kick on after a serious knee injury saw him sidelined for the majority of last season. And the winger has impressed in the Championship, helping Middlesbrough climb up to fifth in the table.
He starred in his side's 6-2 thrashing of Oxford on Saturday, having helped Scotland pick up Nations League wins over Croatia and Poland earlier in the week. However, Doak was wiped out against Oxford by a poor tackle from Elliott Moore which earned Middlesbrough a penalty.
And Carrick is expecting Doak to be on the receiving end of more big challenges as the season progresses, with the winger now a "marked man". Speaking after the game, the former Manchester United midfielder said: "Ben is going to be a marked man now and he's going to have to deal with it.
"I thought it wasn't a great tackle on him for the penalty – it could have been a red card – but I'm not going to complain about it. But luckily he's all right. We know what the boy is capable of and it's exciting, there's no getting away from it.
"It's just really enjoyable watching the team perform at the moment, seeing them express themselves and getting their rewards for it. Ben Doak's playing really well."
Carrick has previously waxed lyrical about Doak's performances so far this season, telling BBC Radio Tees ahead of the Oxford clash: "It's everything you want. In terms of the level (he's reached), it's very difficult to envision something happening so quickly.
"There's no getting away from it, Ben's having a really good time of it at the moment. He's playing some good football and looking dangerous. The opportunity for him to come here and play and be part of the squad - he's obviously confident.
"We know his strengths, it's pretty obvious what he's good at and he's taken that on to Scotland as well. We're really pleased with him, but for us it doesn't change anything. It's a long season so we're certainly not getting carried away but it's great to see him thriving at the moment.
"Then obviously going to Scotland and having an impact for them, it's fantastic for Ben and great for us that he's with us and playing so well. We have still got to be careful, he's still young, we have got to manage him and preparing him for going though the whole season."
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