Young Ben Doak of Scotland and Liverpool has been urged by Andy Robertson to be “protected” as he prepares to compete at the European Championship this summer following Lyndon Dykes’ injury.
Dykes’ participation in this month’s finals was called into question on Friday following his stretcher-out from a training session with Queen’s Park Rangers.
One of five forwards included in Scotland’s tentative 28-man roster, the 28-year-old has nine goals in 36 games for the Tartan Army. But two players from Steve Clarke’s final team, which travels to Germany following friendlies against Finland and Gibraltar later this month, will have to be left out.
As one of the two players who might not make the final roster since he just recently recovered from a meniscus injury he sustained in December, Doak was mentioned. However, Dykes’ odds of making the plane have significantly improved since his injury.
In addition, Robertson, his Liverpool teammate, has urged him to be “protected” and not “overhyped” this summer should he play for Scotland in just their second international tournament since 1998.
He is fearless in taking on new challenges and exudes energy and pace. Robertson of Doak told the BBC, “Young players who have no fear is exactly what we need, and he’s certainly got that.”
“He has a bright future ahead of him, but we also need to support and shield him because we know what it’s like to be just starting out on a journey and we need to wrap our arms around him and help him along the way.”
It’s critical that people avoid overhyping him and instead give him the space to develop and get better. If we take that action, I think he not only has the potential to be a major contributor to our team in this tournament but also for the next ten, fifteen, or more years.”