Teen sensation Doak can have a big future with Scotland, insists Gauld

Ryan Gauld has tipped Ben Doak to take the hype and expectation surrounding his Scotland potential in his stride.

The 19-year-old winger earned man of the match as the Scots secured their first competitive win in 10 games by beating 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia 1-0 in the Nations League on Friday.

Built up as the ‘Mini Messi’ when he left Dundee United for Sporting Lisbon in a £3million deal in 2014, midfielder Gauld has watched Doak at close quarters during Scotland’s Nations League campaign.

And, speaking after the Liverpool wide man earned rave reviews after traumatising Man City’s £80million left-back Josko Gvardiol, the midfielder tipped the former Celtic prospect to go from strength to strength.

‘He’ll just take it on his stride,’ said Gauld. ‘As much as I’m sure he knows, there’s a lot of his game that he can work on. 

‘He’s got a big future ahead of him if he keeps up the way he’s been playing so far.’

Ben Doak celebrates after setting up John McGinn’s winner at Hampden

A late impact sub as John McGinn claimed his 19th international goal with four minutes to play, Gauld was subjected to much of the same scrutiny as Doak when he was the shining light in a Dundee United team also featuring current Scotland team-mates Andrew Robertson and John Souttar.

Removing himself from the front line by moving to Portugal, Gauld offers blunt advice to Doak on how to cope with the same level of scrutiny and expectation.

‘Shut it out. Don’t listen to it as much as possible,’ he said. ‘Just focus on football, play your game and listen to the ones round about you at your club and do what you can to get better.

‘With me it was just noise, I guess. I tried not to think too much about it. Obviously, I was young and in a different country (in Portugal), so it was nice to not understand everything that was being said. I could just try and focus on the football.’

Only Paul McStay and Rangers great Willie Henderson have earned more teenage caps for Scotland than Doak, currently on loan at Middlesbrough. 

Asked if he had tried to offer any advice on coping mechanisms to his younger team-mate, the Vancouver Whitecaps playmaker added: ‘No, I don’t. Just leave him to it. He’s got his own career to worry about and his own future ahead of him. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.’

Doak made a key contribution to the late McGinn strike which kept Scotland hopes of second place in Group A1 and a pot one seeding in next month’s World Cup draw alive.

Striker Lyndon Dykes is another huge fan of the teenager and his explosive impact on games.

Steve Clarke hails Ryan Gauld after the substitute impressed against Croatia

‘His pace is scary. He’s a good lad,’ said Dykes. ‘He’s at Middlesbrough at the moment, getting game time, but he’s performing week in, week out.

‘The experienced boys here have got him under their arm and he’s learning every day. I’m sure he’s going to have a great Scotland career and club career.’

Beaten 5-1 by Portugal, Poland now stand between Steve Clarke’s side and the chance to secure a minimum of a third-place play-off in Warsaw tomorrow night.

Gauld acknowledged the collective relief at ending the national team’s longest ever winless run at Hampden.

‘It was good to finally get a win,’ he said. ‘It was a relief as well because it had been so long.

‘Just getting over the line, maybe not in the prettiest way, but getting the job done and being in with a fighting chance of still staying in the top group matters.

‘The past three or four games, the boys had played really well and not got the result they deserved. 

‘It wasn’t the greatest of performances, but getting the points is what matters and I’m sure everybody would take that.’