Ben Doak is eagerly anticipating his return to the pitch after rejoining full training following knee surgery in December. The young talent is se
Ben Doak is eagerly anticipating his return to the pitch after rejoining full training following knee surgery in December. The young talent is setting his sights on a spot in Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad.
Doak hasn’t played since his surgery to repair a torn MCL, but his inclusion in Scotland’s provisional squad for Euro 2024 speaks volumes about his potential as a game-changer. However, his final selection is still uncertain.
First, he aims to make his mark in friendlies against Gibraltar on Monday and Finland on Friday, which would signal his return from a long-term injury. In an interview with the Scotland national team’s YouTube channel, Doak discussed his recovery journey.
“I was training on my own for a while, just desperate to get back in, but the physios just told me ‘look, you’re not ready, take your time, you’ll be in when we think you’re in your best shape’,” he said.
“I went back into training last week of the season, so I’ve been training for maybe two or three weeks now and I feel great. I just can’t wait to get back kicking a ball.”
Reflecting on his progress before the injury, Doak said, “Before I got the injury I played a fair few games [for the first team], I got my first starts. It was pretty difficult for young players to get into the squad at that time. Obviously, as the season went on all the young lads at Liverpool started to do well, scoring a few goals here and there, so it was gutting to see that. But when I got injured I just kind of put [the Euros] to the back of my head, I wasn’t expecting to even be back fit in time. But here I am!”
Doak’s chances of making the final squad increased slightly on Saturday when striker Lyndon Dykes was ruled out of the Euros due to an injury sustained in training. Manager Steve Clarke now has one more cut to make from the 27-man training squad, though U21s forward Tommy Conway could also be in contention.
It seems likely that Doak will make the trip to Germany. He believes his experiences during his five appearances for Liverpool last season were invaluable.
“Us being in the Europa League really helped,” he noted. “I started in the League Cup, I did decent there, then two or three Europa League games, did decent in those. There was one or two where I was just OK, but it was good to learn what it’s like to play away in Europe. It’s a lot tougher than what you think, but that’s only going to get you better as a player anyway. It was a really good experience and it was good to get a few games under my belt.”
Nations have until June 7 to submit their final squads for Euro 2024, and Doak is hopeful he’ll be on the plane to Germany.
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