In the offseason, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp might have discovered his own Jack Grealish.

Analysis: Academy standout Ben Doak, who shone in Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over Leicester, may be another Jack Grealish waiting to happen.

Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, is aware that his chances of signing Jack Grealish are minimal at best given how successful the £100 million winger is at Manchester City, but if youngster Ben Doak keeps up his impressive preseason form, Klopp might not give it much thought. The talented academy graduate was given another opportunity by the Reds manager, and Doak did not disappoint, scoring in a convincing 4-0 thrashing of Leicester on Sunday morning.

Doak, who is still only 17 years old, replaced the excellent Mohamed Salah at halftime and then put on a mature performance in the second half. Given that the Egyptian had set up two assists for his teammates Bobby Clark and Darwin Nunez, those were big shoes to fill.

Doak, however, did not let the fans down as he scored Liverpool’s fourth goal of the contest, sending a strong header past Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

The young Scottish winger proved why England star Grealish has been compared to him in addition to scoring the goal with his incisive running and fluid movements. He was specifically mentioned by Klopp, who, at 55, praised the attacking group for their “special” second-half performance, so it is not a coincidence that he was mentioned.

The boys must show up, Klopp told reporters, “We have a lot of options in the areas.”. “It’s not pressure; it’s just the circumstances. When we scored three goals in the first half, I believe it was obvious, but to be honest, the fourth quarter’s scoring by Cody, Dom, Luis, and Ben was pretty exceptional. “.

The excitement surrounding the teenager’s promotion from the youth team to the fringes of the first-team roster is palpable. He joined from Celtic last summer. There is no doubt that he is a raw talent, but Klopp’s nurturing style should enable him to develop into a fine player, and similarly, Doak’s pace and work ethic will enable him to fit into his plans with ease.

Grealish has embraced a hybrid role at City as the wide left player in Pep Guardiola’s 3-2-4-1 formation, so using his energy to shape him into one could be part of the strategy. Although they used a 4-2-3-1 against Leicester, Klopp has experimented with a similar system in the past and believes that tactical variety is important. Klopp clearly admires his abilities.

As quoted by the Daily Record, Klopp said earlier this summer, “Ben Doak, obviously nice signs, he’s with us in training again.”.

“[He is] a special boy, very self-assured, and really delivers something no one else really does. This kind of dribbling, this kind of unflinching bravery. all of these things. “.

In his goal against Leicester, Grealish was hard to find. It rather demonstrated Doak’s deft anticipation in the last third. All eyes were on the ball as the in-swinging delivery was whipped in, but Doak saw the opening to run into and took a gamble that the ball would come his way, which it did.

If so, credit should go to Liverpool’s set-piece coaches because it may have been a practiced routine. However, if he was simply acting instinctively, it demonstrates the exact reason Klopp is willing to give the teenager a bigger role in his squad during preseason.

Given the fierce competition for positions as the new season approaches, that could change. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz started the game on the bench. But Klopp has consistently demonstrated a propensity to give young players a chance to shine if they are outperforming expectations, particularly in domestic cup competitions.

Doak definitely accomplished that against Leicester, and with additional opportunities to shine against Bayern Munich and Darmstadt before their preseason schedule comes to an end, he may be able to influence the German’s decision.