Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney Set for Summer Departure, But Club Has Ready-Made Replacement
Middlesbrough’s highly talented young midfielder, Hayden Hackney, looks set to depart the Riverside Stadium this summer, with clubs from the Premier League and across European football queuing up to sign the 22-year-old. According to Football League World, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Liverpool have long been linked with Hackney, whilst Newcastle United, Porto, and Stuttgart have also entered the race in recent times.
Hackney has firmly established himself as one of the EFL’s most exciting young talents in the 2024/25 season. However, there are elements of his game that require improvement if he is to become a top-class box-to-box midfielder. As Football League World notes, “there is considerably more good in his game than bad, and as such, should he flee the Teesside nest this summer, there will be many a young Boro fan – and the odd adult too, no doubt – who will require tears to be wiped away from their eyes and be told that everything will be ok.”
In the event of Hackney’s departure, Football League World believes that Middlesbrough have a ready-made replacement in the form of 19-year-old Law McCabe. McCabe has been described by many Middlesbrough fans as a ‘Hackney regen’, and from what Football League World has seen, this description is “pretty spot on.” McCabe is a Boro lad who joined the club’s academy at Under-9 level and has been impressing for the club’s youth teams.
McCabe has already made a couple of first-team appearances for Middlesbrough, including in the EFL Cup and FA Cup. According to Football League World, “he was one of just a few Middlesbrough players who came away from that 5-0 drubbing against Stoke City with their heads held high.” In the 1-0 defeat to Blackburn, McCabe played 76 minutes before being replaced by Hackney himself, and Football League World thought he was “one of, if not the best player on the pitch in a red and white shirt in what was an otherwise forgettable afternoon at the Riverside.”
McCabe has signed a new long-term contract with Middlesbrough and is clearly a talent that the club holds in high regard. As an England youth international, McCabe has had the opportunity to train alongside Hackney and under the coaching of Michael Carrick, and Football League World believes that Middlesbrough have “quietly been refining another homegrown midfield diamond.”
In the 2023/24 season, McCabe made three Championship appearances for Boro and impressed with his displays. According to Football League World, McCabe registered a pass completion percentage of 89.2 per cent, a long ball accuracy of 80 per cent, completed 58.2 passes per 90 minutes, and won 100 per cent of his tackles – per FotMob.
As Football League World concludes, “whilst a Hayden Hackney transfer exit would be a blow to Boro, I really feel that 2025/26 is going to be the season where we really see McCabe emerge out of the shadows of academy football and fringe first-team action, to truly announce his arrival as the heir apparent to Hackney in the heart of midfield.” Therefore, Middlesbrough fans should not fear the potential departure of Hackney, but instead look forward to the emergence of McCabe as a talented young midfielder.
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