Liverpool could unearth their own Bale in “special” star

Liverpool’s first-team squad has been a thing to be witnessed this season, with Arne Slot’s football philosophy fusing with Anfield’s crop of talented players.

Top of the Premier League and the Champions League group phase too, the Reds are flying high indeed, and this season looks to be one of promise and, potentially, a triumphant finish down one road or another.

That’s all well and good, but Liverpool need to ensure that their position of power is sustained over many years. The biggest sticking point in this quest, at the moment, boils down to the non-committal trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all of whom are out of contract next summer.

There’s plenty for sporting director Richard Hughes and FSG football chief Michael Edwards to chew on, but there’s also a finely crafted framework at Liverpool that could see the desired route followed for many terms to come.

So many up-and-coming players have caught the eye of late. Though he’s away from Merseyside right now, Ben Doak might just be Liverpool’s most talented teenager, showcasing his quality on the biggest stage.

Ben Doak’s season in numbers

Doak moved to Liverpool from Scottish giants Celtic in 2022, aged 16 and commanding a £600k compensation fee. His potential was evident from the offing, with his agent Jackie McNamara hailing him as ‘the Scottish Wayne Rooney’ for his stocky, athletic build and directness.

Unfortunately, the young wideman tore his meniscus, the cushiony bit of cartilage that protects the thighbone and kneebone, midway through the 2023/24 campaign, and was thus unable to play a part for a youthful Liverpool side that won the Carabao Cup and made waves amid an avalanche of damaging injuries.

He was never going to earn regular minutes at Slot’s Liverpool, and so a loan transfer for the 2024/25 campaign was the best way forward for Doak, who has indeed been thriving with Middlesbrough in the Championship.

With three assists from his past two second-tier matches for Boro, the Scotland star is making quite the name for himself – with his talents translating to the international stage quite seamlessly.

Indeed, Doak starred for his country on Friday evening, dominating Josko Gvardiol en route to a brilliant 1-0 victory. Gvardiol, of course, is a Manchester City superstar, having been signed for a £78m fee in 2023.

Writing in their post-match player ratings, the National Scot awarded the barrelling winger, aged 18, with an 8/10 score, praising his ‘audacious backheel flick’ to bamboozle Gvardiol at one point, also noting his energy and tenacity.

It was Doak who dropped the shoulder and beat his man before placing a delivery into the centre, parried and skewed by Croatian defences but only into the path of John McGinn, whose fizzed strike bypassed the net and handed The Tartan Army a spirit-lifting victory.

Already beginning to draw comparisons to Wales icon Gareth Bale, Doak has a big future ahead, but he’s not the only rising Liverpool star who’s garnering such noise. Indeed, Conor Bradley is also becoming a mainstay for his nation, and earning Bale-focused chatter too.

Conor Bradley could be Slot’s own Bale

Doak’s great and all, but he’s not the only young Redman with fast-moving wheels and an electric presence that sees him crackle down the flank.

Bradley is also a player of high-class quality and might just prove to be Liverpool’s first-choice right-back next term – should that rather unthinkable eventuality come into play.

The 21-year-old is endowed with a range of impressive properties that suggest that he has the faculty to operate in a more advanced role. Indeed, this is something he does with regularity for Northern Ireland, of whom he serves as one of the star members.

During an interview earlier in 2024, Bradley admitted that Bale was his idol growing up, and someone that he sought to emulate with his own playing style.

“He got his big move to Real Madrid,” the right-back said. “Wales are a small nation, but he did so well for Wales and was their best player for so many years.”

Given that Bradley is already showcasing attacking qualities that mirror that of the Welsh legend, journalists such as Jack Lusby have taken to hailing him as Northern Ireland’s own version of the legendary forward, who notably won five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles with Los Blancos.

As per FBref, Bradley actually ranks among the top 6% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 4% for progressive carries, the top and the top 7% for tackles per 90. Clearly, he’s got ball-carrying qualities that rival that of Bale.

Whether Bradley would ever convert from a wide defender to an all-conquering winger is another question entirely, but there’s no denying that Liverpool have an elite talent in the making brewing on the margins of Slot’s senior squad.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has hailed his nation’s “really special talent” and it’s apt praise to be sure. With three goals and two captain’s appearances to his name in 2024, his lad’s just going from strength to strength with each passing fixture.

He needs to keep pushing if he’s to break into Liverpool’s starting line-up with regularity under Slot’s wing, but the dynamo is certainly heading in the right direction.