IS IT OKIE DOAKIE FOR BEN TO MAKE SWITCH ACROSS CITY?

DAVID Moyes rates Ben Doak. But with transfer rumours persisting, could the teenage prospect negotiate the ultimate Merseyside football hurdle and complete a transfer from Liverpool to Everton?

- By CHRIS BEESLEY Sports reporter

With on-loan pair Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom (a couple of boyhood Reds fans by the way) now both having returned to their parent clubs Leeds United and Napoli after conjuring up just one goal and two assists between them, the Blues are in desperate need of new talent on the right wing.

Given that Moyes is relatively well-stocked for options on the opposite flank, having turned another loan man Carlos Alcaraz's move into a permanent switch while also having Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil, in contrast, the attacking right-hand side of Everton's team now appears light in numbers.

The Blues boss has got a long and impressive record when it comes to polishing up rough diamonds from the Championship into sparkling Premier League performers, having brought in Tim Cahill from Millwall and Joleon Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers first time around at Goodison Park plus Jarrod Bowen from Hull City for West Ham United.

Moyes is understood to still believe the second tier makes a fertile breeding ground for emerging talent with hungry young players able to successfully make the step up and Doak - not 20 until November 11 - fits the bill having spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Middlesbrough.

Unfortunately, after missing just one game out of 25 after his debut, the Ayrshire-born prospect picked up a hamstring injury after the 2-1 victory away at Preston on January 25 and hasn't featured since.

Without Doak, who provided three goals and seven assists, Boro dropped out of the promotion picture, missing out on the play-offs, with Michael Carrick sacked as head coach.

Could Carrick's loss prove to be Moyes' gain, though?

While Doak's injury has proven an area of concern for the Blues boss, his scouting network have been impressed by the promise they have seen and along with fellow right winger Tom Fellows at West Brom, who Everton have been monitoring for more than a year, he remains a player of interest.