Celtic talen Ben Doak is being targeted by Liverpool – and he seems to have made a real impression on Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou.
The Bhoys managed to end the January transfer window with Doak still at Parkhead despite lofty interest from the Premier League.
The Daily Record reported in December that Liverpool were looking to raid Celtic and bring Doak down to Anfield.
Doak has yet to sign a professional contract at Celtic and Liverpool are looking at the 16-year-old with a view to a move.
We have seen what Billy Gilmour has managed to do having been plucked from Scotland at a young age, and Liverpool may view Doak in a similar way.
That move didn’t come in January, with Celtic no doubt thankful that the deadline passed with Doak still at the club.
Celtic rate Doak so highly that he was brought off the bench against Dundee United on Saturday afternoon.
Postecoglou seems to rate Doak very highly, with the midfielder now in and around the Celtic first-team.
Postecoglou has now told the Scotsman that he thinks Doak is a ‘fantastic’ kid and looked ‘really composed’ against Dundee United.
“Ben’s been training with us for a while,” said Postecoglou. “It was Stephen McManus, actually, who brought him into the group. He’s a fantastic kid who comes from a good family. He looked really composed for his age.”
“He’s have grown up a bit today, it will given him a different perspective on life. He probably would have been on the other side of the terracing if he hadn’t been playing!” he added.
Celtic must now work to get that professional deal wrapped up because they just can’t afford to lose Doak.
Celtic lost Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn to Bayern Munich whilst Josh Adam left Celtic for Manchester City.
It’s great that Celtic keep producing these highly-rated kids, but the Bhoys now need to make sure more of them are at Parkhead for the long-term.
Fending off Liverpool won’t be easy, especially with Doak already playing senior football at 16, but Celtic have to pull out all the stops.
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