Has Ben Doak's move from Liverpool to Middlesbrough gone to plan so far? | OneFootball

The Scotland international agreed a season-long loan switch to Teesside on Deadline Day, and is hoping to play a leading role for Boro this season.

Middlesbrough completed a surprise Deadline Day loan deal for Liverpool's Ben Doak this summer, as the highly-rated Scotland international looks to secure more regular game time in Michael Carrick's Boro side this season.

The 18-year-old winger has been in and around the first-team picture at Anfield over the last few years, but with some of the best wide players in the world for competition and still being so young, Liverpool are prepared to take their time with him.

Boro saw opportunity in that patience, and presented the opportunity to allow the Scot to enjoy a season of playing regular minutes in the Championship, and perhaps giving him his first major role to play within a first-team squad over the duration of a league campaign.

Many have labeled Doak's capture by Middlesbrough as one of the coups of the second tier's summer transfer window, as Premier League and Championship clubs were understood to have been interested in taking him on loan too.

So, has his move to Teesside gone to plan so far? Football League World investigates...

Doak had to exercise patience in first weeks as a Boro player

Some signings are immediately inserted into the starting XI, but for Doak, he would have to remain patient over his first couple of weeks as a Middlesbrough player for numerous reasons.

Firstly, a two-week international break saw the teenager link up with Steve Clarke's Scotland side for their UEFA Nations League fixtures vs Poland and Portugal respectively. He would make a 19-minute cameo vs Poland, and just a one-minute run out vs Portugal.

This meant that Carrick and Boro's coaches were waving him out of Rockliffe Park just as soon as they'd finished showing him around, and ensured that they wouldn't be able to get to grips with their new signing and gauge his fitness levels.

As such, in Middlesbrough's first two games after the September international break against Preston and Sunderland respectively, Doak was restricted to 22 and 28-minute substitute appearances.

But, such was the size of the impact he made in Boro's defeat at the Stadium of Light, Teessiders were left highly frustrated at their side's performance, but certain of which player should be given the starting role on the right flank moving forward...

Isaiah Jones has largely been the player who Carrick has entrusted as his starting right-winger during his Middlesbrough tenure.

But, after failing to register a single goal or assist during Boro's opening eight games across both the Championship and the Carabao Cup, the 25-year-old was dropped from the starting lineup ahead of their game against Stoke City on 28 September.

Doak's first big chance in a Middlesbrough shirt had arrived, as Carrick decided to unleash his Liverpool loanee from the off vs the Potters, and he would be rewarded for doing so.

Pouncing on a spilled save inside the box after a Riley McGree effort, Doak showed awareness and intelligence to stay onside before calmly dispatching the rebound into the Stoke net to give Boro the lead after 34 minutes.

A second-half screamer from Hayden Hackney secured three precious points on the day, on an afternoon where Doak laid a big marker down to his head coach that he was the man for the job.

He would be named in the starting XI for Boro's following game, a midweek away trip to the league leaders at the time, West Brom. Middlesbrough were excellent at The Hawthorns that night, and so was Doak.

His clever pass into the feet of McGree enabled the Australian international to roll the ball into the path of Hackney on the edge of the box, before Boro's very own midfield maestro guided the ball past Alex Palmer to hand Middlesbrough back-to-back wins.

Doak found it tougher sledding in Boro's recent 2-1 defeat to Watford, but he has become one of Carrick's best and most fruitful attacking outlets since coming into the side, and now looks to have snatched the starting role away from Jones.

Being so highly-rated and with Premier League interest in him as well, Liverpool didn't commission his move to the North East for him to simply play a bit part role.

Doak appears set to play a major part in Middlesbrough's season, and keeping him fit and firing could be vital should Carrick's side achieve their goal of Premier League promotion come May.

So, it's fair to say that by taking the starting job from an established and trusted player just two games into his Boro career, Doak's Middlesbrough move has gone to plan so far.