Ben Doak has returned to Liverpool from his loan spell at Middlesbrough after undergoing minor surgery on his thigh.
The 19-year-old winger will do his rehab on Merseyside and retains hope that he could feature for the Championship club again this season.
Losing Doak for a chunk of the season run-in is a big blow for Middlesbrough, who are two points outside the promotion play-off places with 11 matches to go.
The Scotland international has proved a big hit for Michael Carrick’s side with three goals and seven assists in 24 Championship appearances.
Doak suffered a thigh injury in training in late January and had initially hoped to be back in action by the start of March. However, with the problem persisting, the decision was taken for him to have an operation following discussions between the clubs.
It means he will miss Scotland’s Nations League play-off against Greece later this month.
Liverpool rejected offers for Doak from Premier League clubs Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town in January as they wanted him to continue his eye-catching development at Middlesbrough.
Doak will have the opportunity in pre-season to force his way into Arne Slot’s plans for the 2025-26 season.
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