‘What convinced me’ - Ex-Celtic starlet discusses Liverpool exit as Hearts hero gives Lewis Ferguson update

Lewis Ferguson has extended his stay at Bologna | Getty Images

Former Celtic and Ayr United prodigy Ben Doak has claimed that it would have been ‘difficult’ to remain at Liverpool this season as he looks to make a real name for himself with regular first team football at English Championship side Middlesbrough.

Doak picked up two caps for Scotland off the bench in UEFA Nations League defeats to Poland and Portugal, and the Tartan Army are now hoping that the 18-year-old can inject a sense of flair and creativity into the team ahead of their World Cup qualification campaign.

The teenager was highly-rated by ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who brought him to Anfield from Parkhead at just 16 years of age. Under the German’s stewardship, he became the youngest Scot to appear in the Premier league and was given a total of 10 opportunities to shine in the first team during a difficult first two years which were marred by injury. However, following the appointment of Arne Slot, Doak feels he now needs more game time if he is to fulfil his potential.

Former club Celtic and rivals Rangers both showed interest in the ex-Ayr United youngster, but it was ultimately Middlesbrough who won the race for his services on a season-long loan deal.

Doak claims he was drawn to Middlesbrough as in his eyes they are a ‘Premier League club’ due to the fanbase and history behind the team.

He told the Daily Record: “It feels great to be here, and I cannot wait to get out there in front of the fans and get my career up and running,” he said. “This is a Premier League club, really, and I can imagine the fans are desperate to get back up there. 

"I’ll be just happy to be playing. Obviously coming from such a big club, it can be difficult to get games.

"My aim this season is to just improve as a player, and you can only really do that by playing games regularly. So hopefully I can give good performances that ultimately warrant my place in the team.

"I cannot wait to get out there in front of the fans and get my career up and running. Hopefully I can do well. There were no bad elements to coming here. Time will tell. Hopefully I can just go out there and do what I do, please the fans with my performances and please myself.”

Lewis Ferguson pens new contract as injury update emerges

Former Aberdeen playmaker Lewis Ferguson was a big miss for Scotland during their Euro 2024 group stage exit.

The 25-year-old Bologna midfielder had registered six goals and three assists in 31 league appearances for the Serie A side last season and played a key role in their Champions League qualification, before sustaining a devastating knee injury, which killed his Euro 2024 dream.

The 12-time international had even been in such good form that he attracted interest from Juventus, but in a statement of intent by The Red and Blues, has now agreed a deal to extend his stay until the summer of 2029.

Ferguson is well ahead on his rehabilitation from injury and is firmly back on the comeback trail, according to his father Derek.

The ex-Hearts star told the Let Me Be Frank podcast: “I got a wee bit of footage of him training the other night, and this has actually surprised me, where he is in his rehab at the moment.

“When I saw the footage after five and a half months, to see him already at that stage, he’s coming on leaps and bounds. If you look at an ACL – and it wasn’t just his ACL, he did his medial as well – it’s somewhere between nine and 12 months.

“But it’s just when I saw the footage. I’ve watched it numerous times, and I’m looking at it thinking, should he be moving like that at that stage? But it’s totally different from our day.

“I don’t want to get too excited, but inside I am. I’m going over to see him next week for five or six days. So the rehab is going very well, and they’ve just renewed his contract; he’s there until 2029. They are full on the way they have looked after him. The rehab place is right next to where Bologna train.

“The boy who made the tackle ended up in the rehab place after hurting himself. He came over and apologised to Lewis but there was no apology required because it wasn’t intentional – just a split-second thing.

“It just shows you what can happen in a split second. His foot was planted, wrong moment, wrong time. But it was horrible because of the Euros coming up.”

Ferguson is just one of a number of Scotland plying their trade out in Italy and this summer he was joined by Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, who both completed moves to Napoli.

Derek claims the move to Italy has been hugely beneficial for his son’s career and has heaped praise on Bologna.

He added: “It’s been an amazing experience for him and me as well. I’m lucky enough that I can go over as often as I can. Within three or four months, he had started to get a gauge of the language, and now he’s fluent in Italian, which is great when you’re going out for a bite to eat, and he’s ordering for you. But it’s great watching him being interviewed in front of the cameras.”