Ben Doak says he realised something completely new when he first signed for Liverpool
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Ben Gannon-Doak has since joined Bournemouth for £20m.The Reds saw a big overhaul in the summer, with plenty of new faces arriving, while many familiar faces departed.Liverpool have always been shrewd negotiators and they only let players go should they feel the price is right, and that is exactly how they felt with Doak when Bournemouth offered a deal worth up to £25m with add-ons.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. The Scotsman is an electric winger but injuries scuppered his chances at Anfield, although being just 20, he has plenty of time to prove the Reds wrong.It would be no surprise to see him go on to achieve big things and he has admitted there is one thing he realised when he first joined Liverpool which might now help him out in the long run.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesBen Doak felt humbled by the quality at LiverpoolDoak joined Liverpool from Celtic aged just 17, with this a big move for anyone, let alone a young kid who is vastly inexperienced.He never played many games for the Reds, but when he was given the chance, his ability was clear for all to see, even at such a young age.However, Doak himself has admitted that this was a bit of a scary time for him as he realised the quality of the players around him as soon as he arrived, an experience he called humbling.“When you join a club of that stature, you see how high the level can really go,” he said to BBC Sport.“It humbles you a lot and shows you how far you need to go, but it also shows you that when you do well against those players, you can do it against anyone.”READ MORE: Liverpool told they now have a player who is ‘exactly the same’ as Luka ModricDoak certainly competed well too, with it only being pre-season where he impressed, suggesting that there was a strong chance he would have been kept around if a very favourable offer had not come in. Liverpool might regret selling Ben DoakDoak is simply that promising that Liverpool really could end up regretting selling him this summer, especially as he is only 20.
When given the chance for the Reds, he showed some good signs, while his loan spell at Middlesbrough showed that he is ready for first-team football.He tore the Championship apart before his injury, with this something that Bournemouth fans will hope does not become a recurring theme for them.For £20m, though, Liverpool would have been silly to turn their offer down, but with Mohamed Salah declining and a spot on the right winger potentially vacant soon, meaning Doak may have been the man to fill it had he stuck around.