Former Celtic coach claims prodigy thought he was 'held back' before Premier League switch unlocked potential
The Celtic academy product made his eight-figure move from Liverpool to Bournemouth in the summer transfer window
Former Celtic coach Darren O’Dea claims Bournemouth star Ben Gannon-Doak thought he was at times ‘held back’ in his development in the youth ranks at Parkhead despite making his debut at 16.
The Irishman was in charge of Celtic B when Gannon-Doak burst onto the scene at Parkhead. The winger soon caught the eye of then-manager, Ange Postecoglou, who gave him a chance in the first-team. However, his exploits for Celtic also attracted outside interest from the English Premier League. At the age of 17, Liverpool agreed to sign the Scotsman in 2022.
To aid his development, Liverpool farmed Gannon-Doak out to Middlesborough last season, where he got his first real chance at first team level and also earned his first cap for Scotland National Team. His performances on Teesside caught the attention of Cherries boss, Andoni Iraola, who signed him from Liverpool for £25 million in the summer.
Former coach reflects on ‘generational’ Gannon-Doak
O’Dea knew from the get-go that Celtic had a ‘generational’ talent on their hands with Gannon-Doak and didn’t want to coach out of him his natural ability to run at defenders. Speaking to Motherwell midfielder, Andy Halliday on The Margins, O'Dea claimed it was clear to see the winger was going places from a young age and that he had no doubts about his own ability as a teenager.
He said: "So he’s what you call a generational talent. There’s no coach – certainly not me – that’s going to turn around and say, ‘coach that.’ He just had it. There are two parts of it, taking care of it and managing his expectations, because he’s in a rush. He did it pretty quickly. He was one you just watched, and you just knew.
"Ben Doak thought he was getting held back at times, and he made his debut at 16. Do you know what I mean? But that’s the mentality of him. And he’s probably right. He probably was good enough when he was 15. He was one you just watched. And the very few of, I can only think in Celtic’s kind of history, three or four, I could think of on top of my head, but he was one you just knew. So it actually becomes a responsibility to take care of him."
How is Ben Gannon-Doak faring now?
Since leaving Glasgow, the winger has had his fair share of bad luck with injuries. Just as he was becoming a key component of Steve Clarke’s National squad he suffered a hamstring injury in Scotland’s famous 4-2 win over Denmark in November which saw them qualify for the World Cup. He underwent surgery shortly after and is now regaining full fitness.
Despite his six-month absence, should Gannon-Doak get himself back up to speed, there is a high chance he’ll be selected for finals in the USA this summer, where Scotland will face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil. The winger has a real x-factor on the right flank that they’ve been lacking for years, with the majority of the current crop of midfielders preferring a more central role.
At club level, Iraola brought Gannon-Doak on in their recent 2-2 stalemate at home to Manchester United. Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last 11 as they prepare a final push for a top half finish. The Cherries boss announced he’ll be leaving the club at the end of the season, meaning it’ll be a clean slate in summer for Gannon-Doak to impress his successor.