Norwich City and Hull City will have serious Middlesbrough FC envy | OneFootball

Ben Doak has excelled this season at the Riverside, much to the disappointment of the Canaries and the Tigers who both showed interest in the summer.

Middlesbrough have had a strong and slightly inconsistent first half of the Championship season, but they do look to be in with a good chance of battling it out for a play-off place come May - or even an automatic spot if they find some consistency.

Michael Carrick's side currently sit 7th in the table, with defeat to Leeds United in midweek seeing them drop out of the top six for the first time since the middle of November.

Nevertheless, there is more than enough quality in this Boro team to see them back into the play-off spots in the coming weeks once again, and with an incredible amount of attacking talent in their ranks, they will cause issues for others in that time.

Ben Doak is one of those aces that can - and will - help Middlesbrough climb the table, with the winger excelling since joining the club from Liverpool on loan in the summer transfer window.

However, his campaign could have had a very different outlook if the Premier League giants had let him join either Hull City or Norwich City instead.

Hull and Norwich City will have Ben Doak regrets amid summer pursuit

The Canaries and Tigers had both shown interest in the 19-year-old in the summer, but it was Boro who won the battle, something that will come as a great regret to their Championship rivals.

He has punished them both in games already this season, with Hull the most recent of the pair to witness first hand just how much quality Doak possesses.

He picked up two assists in a 3-1 win at the Riverside at the end of November, putting further pain on the East Yorkshire side who are bottom of the league.

His explosive pace, and ability to keep the ball while under great pressure ensured that first Cody Drameh, and then Ryan Giles could not keep hold of him, and he was able to change the game single-handedly.

Norwich have also had to deal with Doak in the last couple of months. While he did not pick up a goal or an assist, he was a constant threat in the 3-3 draw at Carrow Road, and the Canaries found it incredibly difficult to keep him quiet on the right flank throughout.

Both teams know that they will have to face Middlesbrough and the teenage sensation once again this season, and they will have strong fears about that challenge, especially as he will only continue to develop and progress as the season wears on.

Both clubs have also had their fair share of issues when it comes to wide players this season.

For Norwich, Borja Sainz may be flying off the left flank, but no-one has really nailed down a starting 11 spot for Johannes Hoff Thorup on the other side of the pitch, with Amankwah Forson and Ante Crnac mainly sharing that responsibility.

Hull meanwhile invested heavily in wide attackers, with Abu Kamara, Mohamed Belloumi and Liam Millar all arriving on permanent deals, but the latter two are out for the remainder of 2024-25 with ACL injuries - that of course cannot be planned for, but with Doak thriving, Hull may not have had their current issue if they were able to land the Liverpool starlet.

While he would have been excellent for both Hull and Norwich, Liverpool made the right decision in choosing Middlesbrough as the club for Doak to go on loan to this season.

With new managers at the MKM Stadium and Carrow Road in the summer, it was difficult to tell how both sides would play, and if it would suit the winger. Tim Walter was sacked after a very poor start, while Johannes Hoff Thorup is still getting to grips with the division.

Carrick is well-known for his attacking style of play that incorporates wingers into it fully, and this is why Doak has impressed so much in 2024/25.

It has been reported that Liverpol have told Boro that they will be able to keep hold of the 19-year-old for the rest of the campaign, and this will only benefit him as he gets more and more settled on Teesside.

However, for the two that missed out, regret will only grow with each week that passes.