BEN Doak is "chomping at the bit" to get going at Middlesbrough and although Michael Carrick has been instantly impressed by the forward, he won't rush things with the Liverpool loanee.

Doak linked up with the Boro squad for the first time earlier this week having spent the international break with Scotland after completing his loan move from Anfield late on deadline day.

The teenager, who'll add to Carrick's options on the right side of the attack, arrives with a big reputation having turned heads at Liverpool since joining from Celtic and has settled in immediately at Rockliffe.

Carrick is excited by what the 18-year-old can offer his side this season, but will be patient with Doak on what is the forward's first loan move.

"He’s been in since Tuesday or Wednesday and he’s really impressed and settled in quickly and already had an impact on the group," said Carrick.

"He’s obviously desperate to get going, playing and be part of the team. Again, when it’s new - it’s a new environment - it’s a case of helping him settle and getting him used to how we play and do things.

"That’s what we expect and we hope that he can be the player we know he can be but we have to be a little patient with him and bed him in at the right time."

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Doak is available to make his debut and expected to be in the squad for Boro's Championship game against Preston at the Riverside tomorrow.

Boro beat several rivals - and even a couple of Premier League clubs - to the capture of the youngster, who Arne Slot decided was best served spending a season elsewhere rather than on the fringes at Anfield.

Asked why Doak chose Boro, Carrick said: "I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him. We were keen to get him on board, we know what type of player and the potential and strengths that he’s got. We feel that he’ll fit us really well.

"So we just put our case across really and he was terrific to speak to and he’s delighted to be here. So, as for his reasons, you’ll have to ask him but he’s delighted to be here and trained really well in the days that he’s been here. He’s chomping at the bit to get going."

With Doak arriving and Marcus Forss now back in training, but not yet ready to feature, Isaiah Jones has fresh competition on the right flank.

But Carrick says Jones is "bouncing and happy" after returning from his first international stint with Guyana - where he made an immediate impact, scoring twice during the break.

Carrick said: "To get through a season you need strength in depth from game-to-game and in-matches to freshen things up when you get injuries.

"There has been a period of time where it has been pretty much Izzy on the right hand side, due to injuries etc, so I think that we need to balance that off.

"It’s the perfect kind of complement to each other and there is Marcus to get back in the group. If you want to be competitive over a long period of time then you can’t rely on one person per position, that’s why we’ve built the squad as we’ve tried to do it."