Ben Doak may not be too far away from receiving his first senior cap for Scotland after being picked out for further appreciation by his nation’s U21s manager.
Doak made his Scotland U21 debut at the age of 16, and has since played four times.
Doak has once again been chosen for the upcoming round of international matches with the young Scots against Hungary and Malta later this month after Scot Gemmill praised the teenager for his “exceptional performance” as a center-forward against Spain U21s last month.
Following recent performances in practice and on the field, Doak’s current national coach has given the winger additional praise and described him as a “leader” despite his youth.
It is incredibly thrilling to watch Ben’s development because there is no doubt that he is maturing quickly and you can tell that he is obviously training and playing every day with really good players.
The young player scored four goals in nine games for Scotland at the U17 level and has already scored a goal for the U21 team.
When the “right moment” arises, Doak will be promoted to Scotland’s first team, according to Gemmill, who did not rule out the possibility that it will happen during the upcoming “international window.”
Clearly, Steve [Clarke] and his team made the choice. We all agree that Ben will represent Scotland, and Steve will decide when that time comes,” he concluded.
“Steve and his crew will decide whether or not that will be included in the upcoming international window. Everyone is aware that Ben will represent Scotland; all that is left to do is trust the manager to choose the best opportunity.
We all seem to agree that the key is to choose the proper time, which Steve and his team will do.
Doak won’t quite be able to surpass John Lambie as the youngest player in his country’s history; Lambie made his debut in 1986 at the age of 17 years and 92 days.
However, it is evident that he is developing quickly at both the club and international levels. He has already made three senior appearances for the Reds this season.