Former Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas has called upon Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp to give youngster Ben Doak a greater role in the Reds’ senior team setup.

Douglas says it ‘might not be the worst idea’ to promote Doak from Liverpool’s U21s to the first team. He believes that he is ready, noting Klopp’s admiration of the 17-year-old Scotland U21s international.

Douglas also believes that should Doak be given more senior team game time, it will increase his playing time in Scotland’s U21s team – which, in turn, will bring dividends towards his development as a professional footballer. Moreover, it could also increase his chances of winning a senior team call up for the Tartan Army.

What did Rab Douglas have to say regarding Ben Doak?

Writing in his column for the Dundee Courier, Douglas said: “It might not be the worst idea if Ben Doak now gets promoted from the under-21s to the full squad. Here is a player who Jurgen Klopp is now trusting to come on for Mo Salah at Stamford Bridge for Premier League game time.

“Bringing him into the group for the friendly against England feels like a smart move. It would reward a player who is on the fast-track to the Liverpool first team, would please the fans and would subtly show to [Elliot] Anderson that the talent pool is deep north of the border these days.”

Should Ben Doak be given more first team football for Liverpool?

Doak is a superlatively talented player with an incredibly bright future in the world of modern football. But, sadly, Liverpool already have a strong depth of talent in their attacking ranks.

Doak is a natural wide man – The Reds can call upon the likes of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah to play on either wing.

With that being said, Doak does not necessarily have to feature in every game if he is promoted to the senior squad. Merely training with the first team and spending time amongst some of the best players in the world will do his development no end of good.