IT was very early in the summer, in a Middlesbrough recruitment meeting, when Michael Carrick brought up the subject of Ben Doak. The 17 year old emerging star had already made his presence known in the Liverpool ranks, and several clubs, both in England and abroad, were sniffing for his signature.
Nothing has been made official, however, sources close to the club have revealed the lengths Middlesbrough went to land the young winger, who has been making headlines with his impressive training sessions and competitive performances for Liverpool, at both senior and youth level.
Ben Doak stunned everyone with his incredible pace, skill and goal-scoring ability and Michael Carrick's persistent pursuit made all the difference in making the young prospect his first signing. It was thought that Liverpool would fight hard to keep him, but once he informed the club of his intentions, the Reds made quite a push for him.
Carrick has made no secret of his desire to sign young talent in the transfer market this summer and now, has signed Doak, another emerging teenage striker the subject of much attention at various top clubs, to the Middlesbrough fold.
His dream, of bagging Ben Doak to the Riverside Stadium, has become a reality and is set to add greater firepower to Middlesbrough in their upcoming season.