Ben Doak has returned to Liverpool after undergoing surgery on a thigh injury, which could rule the winger out for the remainder of his loan at Middlesbrough.
Doak had not featured for Middlesbrough since the end of January, but in a recent update head coach Michael Carrick suggested he could make his return imminently.
But the youngster is now facing the possibility that his campaign could be over, having required surgery to correct the issue this week.
According to The Gazette‘s Craig Johns, Doak underwent a “minor procedure” before returning to his parent club for initial treatment.
“While Boro aren’t understood to have completely ruled out Doak playing again this season, there are just 11 games left of the regular campaign, making it a race against time,” Johns explained.
The expectation is that, at the very least, the 19-year-old will miss the majority of those 11 games and it may be more likely that a return date is set for pre-season.
Doak had been in excellent form for Middlesbrough prior to his injury, with three goals and seven assists in 24 games in the Championship.
Liverpool rejected advances from both Ipswich and Crystal Palace in the January transfer window, with bids of up to £16 million turned down.
Arne Slot is expected to run the rule over Doak in pre-season, with those within the club reported to be impressed with his development since joining Middlesbrough.
Whether he can earn a long-term role in Liverpool’s senior squad remains to be seen, with Harvey Elliott‘s own struggle for game time highlighting the competition he would face.
The hope is that Mohamed Salah will sign a new contract to effectively lock down the right-hand side beyond the current season, while a new arrival in the summer transfer window cannot be ruled out.
Per FBRef, Doak is in the top one percent of wingers across Europe for progressive carries (6.78) and progressive passes received (12.65) per 90 minutes, and in the top five percent for touches in the opponent’s penalty area (6.12).
Liverpool have already seen Calum Scanlon‘s loan spell at Millwall come to an early end due to a serious hamstring injury, while Luke Chambers has missed the last five months at Wigan.
Chambers, 20, is nearing a return to training this month, however, and could still play a part in the final games of the League One campaign after a complicated back injury.
