Not an injury: The bizarre reason why Ben Doak wasn’t involved for Liverpool against Yokohama | OneFootball

Ben Doak was conspicuous by his absence from Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday, although his lack of involvement in the fixture wasn’t injury-related.

The Scottish forward is back with his parent club after spending last season on loan at Middlesbrough, where he’d been enjoying regular game-time before a hamstring injury cut his campaign short.

The 19-year-old had played in the pre-season games against Preston, Stoke and AC Milan, so it may have seemed surprising that he didn’t even make the matchday squad yesterday.

Why was Doak not involved against Yokohama?

A couple of journalists who’d been covering Liverpool during the Asian tour have shed light on why Doak wasn’t involved against Yokohama, even though he travelled to Japan.

As explained by Ian Doyle (Liverpool Echo) and Lewis Steele (via X), an issue with the 19-year-old’s passport precluded him from obtaining the requisite visa to technically work in the country, instead having to settle for a general visitor pass.

The teenager was still able to partake in training and a host of promotional activites with the club, but was prohibited from playing professional sport.

(Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images)

Frustrating for Doak as he seeks to make an impression on Arne Slot

The curious visa issue denied Doak an ideal opportunity to get further minutes under Arne Slot on Wednesday, but at least fears have been assuaged over an injury or an impending transfer.

With Mo Salah the undisputed first-choice on the right wing, the Scotland international could find his game-time limited if he remains at Liverpool for the upcoming season, and the club might yet be tempted by prospective offers of around £25m for the youngster.

However, with Federico Chiesa reportedly seeking a return to Serie A and the Egyptian King set to miss the festive period due to the Africa Cup of Nations, there might yet be a window of opportunity for the former Celtic starlet at Anfield in the coming months.

Doak will almost certainly get another chance to impress in Liverpool’s double header of games against Athletic Bilbao next Monday, and a positive performance in either of those might yet see him feature in the Community Shield the following weekend.

It would’ve been frustrating for him to have been forcibly excluded from the match in Yokohama for bureaucratic reasons, but hopefully he can either make a valuable contribution for the Reds in the coming season or enjoy regular game-time with a carefully selected loan move.