Doak was in the starting XI for his country for the first time against Croatia and impressed
Maybe it’s a number subconsciously etched on Steve Clarke ’s mind after the miserable run of results that’s seen the pressure ramp up on the national manager. Or perhaps he truly believes Ben Doak has the potential to light up Scotland for the next decade and a half.
No matter how exciting he might be. Of his 17 senior professional appearances for Celtic, Liverpool and Boro, the 18-year-old has yet to play a full 90 minutes. And Clarke insists there’s a balancing act to be had - even if he would have no qualms about handing Doak another start against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co on Tuesday night.
“It's to get the balance right between giving Ben the opportunity to play, because he's more than capable of taking them, but also making sure we protect him a little bit and we don't overhype. Sometimes maybe in the past there have been players that have been a little bit overhyped that don't fulfil their potential. The most important thing for Ben is that he fulfils his potential and if we can help him do that, that's what we'll try and do.
The addition of Doak and before him Billy Gilmour and the currently crocked Aaron Hickey and Lewis Ferguson are testament to that. It’s another balance Clarke is keen to strike. He said: “It’s very important that we get that. Andy, for example, with 77 caps, I thought he was absolutely outstanding the other night for us.
“So we're already starting to grow the next generation of players. As well as trying to be good now, I'm also trying to leave a little group of players that are ready to go and carry on. I’ve mentioned it before, we don't go 20 years after this group of players stop, 20 years without the success that we all want. We all want to be involved in the major tournaments.”
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