Liverpool's amazing teen could become even bigger than Trent & Bradley

Back in February, Virgil van Dijk couldn't help but smirk. "They thought I was finished," he said, Carabao Cup winners medal hung from his neck.

The all-inspiring leader scored the winning goal that ensured Jurgen Klopp tasted silverware in his final season at the helm for Liverpool. It was brilliant, for the Reds had been decimated by injuries and were forced to call upon a host of academy members to help them over the line.

Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns and James McConnell all featured. 'Klopp's Kids', as the range of youth talent became known, showcased a new level to the Anfield side's production line.

It's changed somewhat now that Arne Slot's in charge, but hardly to the detriment of Liverpool's exploits in 2024/25. The Dutch coach promotes a close-knit, immensely talented set-up, and it's paying dividends.

And anyway, it's not like Slot isn't making good use of some homegrown superstars over on Merseyside.

Liverpool's academy success

Throughout the opening couple of months this season, Slot was loath to tweak his starting line-up, even banishing Quansah to the bench after the first half of Liverpool's Premier League opener at Ipswich Town. Ibrahima Konate replaced him and remained moveless next to Van Dijk until picking up an injury last week.

Even so, Quansah is joined by the electric right-back Bradley in cementing themselves as the latest academy sensations to be rising to the fore.

Liverpool's squad is already woven with high-class quality from the level below. Indeed, Harvey Elliott made his anticipated return on Sunday, having been ruled out for most of the campaign with a fractured foot. The 21-year-old playmaker has been praised for his "sensational" passing by journalist Nizaar Kinsella and will be a big plus across the wintry period.

We've mentioned Bradley, but not dug into his budding brilliance. The Northern Irish right-back went from strength to strength in a wonderful breakout year before Klopp departed but has played a reduced role under Slot.

Even so, with Trent Alexander-Arnold sidelined last week, he stepped up against Real Madrid in the Champions League and played an instrumental part in securing a huge victory, notably dispatching Kylian Mbappe as though he were a child.

Speaking of Alexander-Arnold, he's undoubtedly the cream of the academy crop, breaking to the surface just before Curtis Jones and establishing himself as Liverpool's biggest talent since Steven Gerrard stepped onto the major stage and became one of the greatest midfielders in football history.

Now, it's Ben Doak's turn, and he might just prove to outstrip the current members of Liverpool's first team.

In The Pipeline Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Ben Doak is Liverpool's next big thing

Doak's causing quite the stir in the Championship. Slot ruthlessly cut out a host of Klopp's Kids but the likes of Doak and Stefan Bajcetic have been told to foster their talents elsewhere before returning with the requisite vim and vigour.

Plying his trade with Middlesbrough, the 19-year-old winger has been hailed as "one of the biggest Scottish talents of the 21st century" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, proving to be every bit the superstar in the making.

Having grown into a prominent role with Boro, under the stewardship of Michael Carrick, Doak will be hoping to establish himself as a first-team regular on Merseyside, demonstrating the physicality and the playmaking prowess to cause a frenzy in England's top flight.

Ben Doak - Championship Stats 2024/25 Match Stats* # Matches (starts) 13 (11) Goals 1 Assists 5 Shots (on target)* 1.5 (0.7) Pass completion 85% Key passes* 2.5 Ball recoveries* 2.5 Dribbles* 2.1 Tackles* 1.1 Total duels (won)* 4.5 (51%) Stats via Sofascore (* = per game)

His bull-like charges down the right flank have allowed him to weather the physicality of England's second tier and then some. There's a distinct combativeness to the Scotland international that offers hints of another former prodigy: Wayne Rooney.

The Athletic's Tim Spiers claimed in a recent interview that Doak has "got a bit of Rooney about him" while the teenager's agent, Jackie McNamara, has also made the bold statement: "He's a Scottish Rooney. That's what I said to Ange at Celtic, I told him I've never seen anything like Ben."

He notched two assists and was crowned the Player of the Match in Middlesbrough's most recent contest, against Hull City, and it's becoming pretty clear that he could be tailor-made for prosperity in the Premier League.

His explosiveness and ability to drop the shoulder and tear through opponents is almost uncanny; he really could be the latest version of the Manchester United legend, albeit bursting onto the Premier League scene with Liverpool.

He did earn his stripes with the Reds last term, though saw his breakthrough campaign cruelly cut short in December with an injury that froze the gains that had been made across the opening months of the year.

Liverpool fans have been granted a taste of this wondrous youngster's qualities, and given that he's being placed in the same bracket as Rooney, it's fair to suggest that he has the precocity to become a true superstar.

Former Scotland manager Craig Levein said "this kid could be a world-class player" after he ripped Croatia's Josko Gvardiol to shreds during the November international break.

The Tartan Army have got some talent on their hands, and do you know what? So have Liverpool.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Co have reached some varying heights this term, but Doak could trump the lot. Keep an eye on him.

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