MIDDLESBROUGH are understood to be delighted and excited after beating Championship rivals and Premier League clubs to the loan signing of Liverpool youngster Ben Doak.

The 18-year-old has linked up with Michael Carrick's side for the entirety of the season.

The teenager and Liverpool both agreed that Boro was the best option in what is a crucial campaign for the winger, who is looking to continue his impressive development by being in and around a first team set-up.

It's a first loan move away from Anfield for the Celtic youngster, who has made 10 Liverpool first team appearances.

Doak is extremely highly-rated at Liverpool and signed a new long-term contract in September last year but his progress was halted by a knee injury.

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He featured five times during pre-season for Liverpool and looked set to stay at Anfield until the Reds’ late swoop for Federico Chiesa, which led Arne Slot to decide that the youngster was better served spending the campaign out on loan.

Southampton and Leicester were both interested, while Hull City made a strong move for the winger, but Boro jumped to the front of the queue after joining the race. Further strengthening on the flanks wasn't necessarily on Boro's to-do list late in the window but they when they learnt of the opportunity to sign Doak, they acted fast.

Speaking last year, former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said of Doak: "Special boy, really confident, has something nobody else delivers really, this kind of dribbling, this kind of straight-forward bravery, all these kind of things."