"Similar to Adama Traore and Juninho" - New arrival's Middlesbrough FC impact lauded | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has likened Ben Doak to both Adama Traore and Juninho

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Liverpool loan prodigy Ben Doak has been likened to Adama Traore and Juninho following his electric start to life at Middlesbrough.

Michael Carrick's side have struggled for consistency once again this season, and following Saturday afternoon's shocking 3-0 home defeat to Coventry City, you can just sense the mood growing increasingly sour at the Riverside Stadium.

They're currently 11th in the Championship after 13 matches, which represents a somewhat underwhelming position given that they were widely touted to compete for promotion before the season headed underway.

However, one source of continued positivity and excitement for the club is Doak, who has dazzled for Middlesbrough thus far after completing a hotly-anticipated loan move from Liverpool in the summer and is beginning to look like a real star, earning comparisons to some all-time Boro greats in the process.

In spite of a topsy-turvy start to the season for Middlesbrough, Doak has flourished on an individual level and is vindicating the promise which has surrounded his name for some time.

Still only 18, Doak very much appears a class act already at Championship level, with second-tier full-backs largely incapable of nullifying his direct speed and ball-carrying quality. This makes the Scotland international a huge outlet in transition down the right-hand side, but he's also technically sound enough to come inside and help his side play through the lines.

So far, Doak has one goal and no assists in his first eight games for Boro, but that's only a small part of the impact he's made and the class which has been exhibited.

Ben Doak likened to Adama Traore, Juninho at Middlesbrough

We asked our resident Boro fan pundit, Jasper Hudson, to name a current player who reminds him of past legends on Teesside.

Although Doak is still in the early stages of his time in the North East, Jasper believes that the palpable excitement and anticipation when the 18-year-old winger is in possession is reminiscent of the same feeling that would surround Adama Traore and Juninho.

It's some praise, that's for sure.

Speed demon Traore lit up the Riverside during a scintillating 2017/18 campaign and, akin to Doak, he wasn't all that prolific in front of goal. However, the way in which he would burn past defenders was second to none, and he's still fondly remembered to this day.

Meanwhile, Juninho is regarded as quite possibly the finest player to ever play for Middlesbrough, having struck a chord with supporters like no other in each of his three spells at Boro.

"At the moment, I think Ben Doak is a standout player," Jasper told Football League World.

"The reaction from the fans when he gets on the ball is similar to that when we had Adama Traore at the club and Juninho as in when he's on the ball, he's a player the fans know can beat a man and do something magic.

"There's a lot of excitement when he's on the ball, and a lot of fans want to see him getting on the ball as much as the previously mentioned players like Juninho.

"So I think Ben Doak is currently one."