Ben Doak has signed a new contract at Liverpool, with Pep Guardiola perhaps offering an insight into his future Liverpool role with Jérémy Doku at Manchester City.

Ben Doak’s agreement to a new long-term contract at Anfield was good and perhaps unexpected news for Liverpool supporters on Tuesday afternoon. Since joining the Reds from Celtic over a year ago, the Scottish teenager has shown tremendous promise in a red shirt.

Doak has excelled anytime he has been given the chance to play on the field, but he hasn’t yet cemented himself as a first-team regular for Jürgen Klopp. He has portrayed himself as a very straightforward and courageous forward who isn’t scared to square off against more experienced players despite being only 17 years old.

When he has the ball, the Scot already has the appearance of being a skilled dribbler since he tends to drive towards his opponents before outpacing them with a sudden burst of speed and nimble feet. Over the past year, Doak has captured the interest of Merseyside supporters, and he has done the same with Klopp.

Earlier this summer, the Reds manager was quoted as saying, “Doak, obviously nice signs, he’s with us in training again.” (via the Daily Record). “Special boy, really self-assured, has something no one else really delivers, this kind of dribbling, this kind of unflinching bravery, all these kind of things.”

Doak is still very young, but it is already obvious that he possesses highly particular traits related to his directness and dribbling skill, especially when he is used on the wings. Based on the configuration of his present system, Klopp will undoubtedly be eager to take use of such advantages in the near future.

The four midfielders in the middle of the field often draw defenders to the inside of the field, creating space on the flanks as a result. The tactical change has benefited Mohamed Salah, and the wide players for Manchester City have also profited.

Prior to Klopp, Pep Guardiola employed the 3-2-5 attacking system in the Premier League. The Spanish coach was eager to make the most of Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez’s abilities in wide areas. Jérémy Doku was signed by the Etihad team this summer after leaving Rennes for almost $68 million (£55 million/€65 million).

The Belgian international has a lot of room for improvement, but his strengths are clear. He is quick, direct, and enjoys dribbling past opponents, just like Doak. In fact, Doku finished more dribbles per 90 minutes than any other player in Europe’s top five divisions last season, with Allan Saint-Maximin, a former Newcastle United forward, coming in second.

The 21-year-old attacker, who only scored six goals in Ligue 1 last season, isn’t particularly prone to scoring goals, but if Guardiola allows him to do what he does best, which is dribble past opponents, he will undoubtedly excel. His 3-2-5 formation will also give him a platform to succeed.

Doku can effectively serve as a blueprint for Doak whenever he is featured and demonstrates how Liverpool could outperform the $68m transfer given the relative fees at stake. Doak is unlikely to have many opportunities in the Premier League over the course of the next 12 months given that he is still a teenager. Doak will have plenty of time to develop in Merseyside, but Klopp already has a structure in place that might help him perform at his best.