Jurgen Klopp names 16-year-old he believes is a ‘big talent’ ahead of Liverpool vs Rangers

Jurgen Klopp believes that Liverpool have a ‘big talent’ in Ben Doak on their hands as he heaped praise on the improvements made to football in Scotland.

The Red prepare to face Rangers in the Champions League tonight. The two clubs meet for the first time in history.

Scottish football has made big strides in recent years. Last season, the Gers reached the Europa League final while they compete in Europe’s elite club competition this season - along with arch-rivals and current Scottish champions Celtic.

Liverpool have Scotland captain Andy Robertson in their ranks, while they signed Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen during the summer transfer window.

Doak was also prised from Celtic for a compensation fee reported to be around £600,000 to link-up with the Reds’ under-18s.

The 16-year-old has already made a bright impression.

Doak has registered three goals and three assists in just seven appearances, while he’s capped for Scotland at under-21s level.

What’s been said

Speaking at his pre-match press conference when asked about the standard of Scottish football, Klopp said: “It’s increased a lot. Rangers and Celtic are obviously the standout teams in the league.

“That’s not new but probably the best you can get [to see how good they are] is in Europe. Rangers’ run in the Europa League was exceptional.

“I saw the games against Dortmund, for example, and they were just really good. Especially the home game, you can see how much atmosphere can give you an edge and that was really impressive.

Celtic are doing really well as well and the Scottish team is full of talent. We have Calvin here, who is only just back from injury and in the u18s (Ben Doak), another big talent.

“They might be a bit disappointed that they are not still in Scotland but, to be honest, with these two teams that dominant, we all know that if a player’s really developing, it’s probably not unlikely that he will at least give it a try in the Premier League or wherever.

“But it’s, for sure, a much better moment than maybe four, five years ago and that’s down to the players you have.”