Liverpool loanee Ben Doak has been forced to undergo surgery in a huge setback to the teenager during his loan spell at Middlesbrough. Although it’s believed to be a minor procedure, the 19 year old winger has returned to Liverpool for initial treatment.
While Middlesbrough hasn’t entirely ruled out Doak playing again this season, with only 11 games left in the regular campaign, it’s certainly a race against time for him to return.
Since joining Boro in the summer, Doak has been a standout player, contributing three goals and seven assists for Michael Carrick’s side and causing havoc for defences with his speed.
Having been sidelined since the end of January, Boro suffered four consecutive losses without the forward before finally returning to winning form with two back-to-back victories last week.
It was thought that Doak was on the road to recovery, with Carrick noting that the Liverpool prospect was nearing a return and hinting he might have even resumed training this week when asked for an update ahead of last weekend’s match against Derby County.
However, the thigh injury he sustained prior to the Sunderland game turned out to be more serious than initially anticipated and after further examination, it was decided that surgery would be necessary at this point to aid his recovery. At the very least, he will now miss the majority of the remainder of the campaign, if not all of it.
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The injury is a significant setback for Boro, who is still striving for a top-six finish. Doak’s value this season has been evident, and his comeback was anticipated to be a major lift for Carrick.
Middlesbrough could yet reach the playoffs in the Championship, which would mean the season runs until the end of May. It remains to be seen if that is realistic for Doak to feature.
Doak was forced to undergo knee surgery in December 2023, which ruled him out for most of the previous campaign with Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp. He has since established himself as a regular in the Scotland setup but will now miss the upcoming Nations League playoff against Greece.
Liverpool fended off January bids from Premier League clubs for the teenager back in January, such is the impact he has made with Middlesbrough. Ipswich and Crystal Palace were both keen on Doak but did not come close to meeting Liverpool’s $39 million/£30 million valuation.
