Fearless and nerveless – Doak & Gordon key to Scotland revival

The quick and the calm. A raw teenager and a veteran goalkeeper have had major roles in Scotland’s recent upturn in fortunes, according to former national team manager Craig Levein.

Injury robbed Ben Doak of a possible international debut at Euro 2024, while Craig Gordon failed to make the cut after fighting his way back to fitness.

Winger Doak, 19, has since played in all six Nations League group games, starting the last four, along with Gordon, who has re-established himself as the nation’s number one at the age of 41.

“My feeling is, just give him the ball,” said Levein of Doak, the Liverpool youngster currently on loan with Middlesbrough, who has set up two goals in this month’s wins over Croatia and Poland.

“Against Croatia at Hampden, when he got the ball, the whole thing just lifted up a level,” Levein told BBC Scotland. “The noise from the crowd was fantastic.

“You have to go back a long way to find somebody who’s as exciting as this lad is. He’s got searing pace and there’s something really intoxicating about that.

“That idea of just taking people on and crossing the ball, or cutting inside to shoot or setting stuff up for other people, it’s great to watch.

“He went past Josko Gvardiol like he was a two-bob defender. He’s a little bit special. He’s also got that lack of fear that young players bring and it becomes infectious when you see him enjoying himself.”

Doak has made just a handful of cameos for Liverpool since joining from Celtic in early 2022.

“You have to be able to to learn very quickly when you’re at a club that size, how to behave and to prepare yourself for high expectations,” said Levein.

“The fact he went to Liverpool, I think, is a big thing. He’s managed to get himself in the first team on occasions, now he’s at Middlesbrough which is a good choice. He needs regular football.

“Fingers crossed, everything continues in the way it’s going for him at the moment, because he’s a top class prospect – and the excitement for me always comes knowing that eight years from now he’s going to be much better than he is now.”