Scotland given Ben Doak injury update as boss hints at return date ahead of Nations League playoff

The 19-year-old former Celtic academy product is currently on loan to EFL Championship promotion chasers Middlesbrough from Liverpool, but has missed the last four games with a troublesome thigh injury. In his absence, the Teessiders have fallen into crisis, losing their last five games on the spin and dropping to 13th in the table.

Middlesbrough’s dip in form has saw head coach Michael Carrick come under increasing pressure a section of the club’s fanbase calling for a change in the dugout ahead ahead of tonight’s visit to Stoke City, while supporters have also been clamouring for the return of the young Scot as they look to arrest an alarming slide.

Subject of two £16million bids from Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town in the summer, Doak has been a revelation at the Riverside Stadium this season, scoring three goals and assisting a further seven in his 21 league appearances for the club, where he has linked well with Scotland teammate Tommy Conway.

The wonderkid has proven to be a key figure at international level too, making a big impact in Scotland’s back-to-back Nations League victories in November. Doak played a vital role in creating John McGinn’s vital late winner in the 1-0 win over Croatia, before he grabbed an assist in the 2-1 win over Poland in Warsaw just days later.

His impressive rise to prominence this season means Clarke will be desperate to include him in the squad for the two-legged playoff with Greece next month as they look to keep their place in the Group A of the Nations League.

The Tartan Army will to head to Greece for the first-leg on March 20, before returning to Hampden Park for the crucial second-leg just three days later. However, with just the game just over three weeks away, there have been concerns that Doak may not be ready in time. However, the latest update from Carrick has provided a welcome boost ahead of the tie.

“I don’t expect the injured lads to be back for the weekend,” said Carrick. “They’re a little bit further away than that. It shouldn’t be too long after that, maybe a week or two. We’re hoping that Ben will be in and around it in terms of training next week. We don’t want to put too much of a deadline on that. Everyone’s waiting to see when he’s fit, I get that, but we’ll have to wait and see. He’s not too far away now, so that’s good.”