‘It’s cool’

Jurgen Klopp was particularly excited by Liverpool teenager Ben Doak after the winger impressed from the bench in the EFL Cup win over Derby. The 16-year-old made his debut in the first team when he replaced Fabio Carvalho in the 74th minute and looked the most likely to produce something during normal time for the Reds before the match went to penalties. Doak joined Liverpool’s academy from Celtic in the summer and has immediately impressed the youth coaches, with some naming him as the club’s best academy product. He has scored eight goals in 15 youth games since his arrival while he was originally nurtured within the Scotland Performance School, which has helped produce the likes of Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson. Hopes are high that the Scotsman could go on to have a successful career for both club and country. This was on show in the encounter at Anfield last night with Doak being one of the most impressive player on the park despite his late introduction. Liverpool boss Klopp was particularly glowing in his praise for the winger after the game. ‘That’s Ben. His instructions were easy: do what you do all the time’ the German explained. ‘He’s really a lively boy, a smart player, good dribbler, fast, can use both legs.JUST IN: Newcastle ‘to make formal offer’ for exciting Argentine Maximo Perrone ‘in next few days’ Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised Ben Doak after the win over Derby. (Image: GETTY)’He’s good! It was nice to watch, eh? It was really nice to watch, him coming in and immediately a lot of things are obviously natural to him, which is really helpful. I’m pretty sure his family was here tonight. I can remember when I saw the family at the AXA when we signed the boy, how excited everybody was.’And now having that night, it’s the next step. It’s cool, he showed up, obviously.’Doak was not the only Reds’ star to get his first proper taste of competitive match action as Klopp made 11 changes from the team that beat Tottenham at the weekend. There were full debuts for Calvin Ramsey, Stefan Bajcetic, Bobby Clark, Melkamu Frauendorf and Layton Stewart as Liverpool looked to give youth a chance. DON’T MISS…Liverpool ‘assessing Isaksen move’ as Lijnders makes ‘special’ claimEndrick’s stance on joining Chelsea, Real Madrid or PSGMan City boss Pep Guardiola sheds new light on Erling Haaland injury Ben Doak made his first appearance for Liverpool against Derby. (Image: Getty)’We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare but we could at least train once, that’s why we changed,’ the former Borussia Dortmund manager said after the game. ‘We have to make sure we don’t risk anybody and we really love to give the boys opportunity.’Imagine, even if we lose the penalty shootout, the people wouldn’t have seen Stefan [Bajcetic], Bobby [Clark], Ben [Doak], Mel [Frauendorf], Layton [Stewart].’It was like eight or nine young boys, it’s so nice to see them and give them the opportunity.’Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our new Facebook group by clicking here