One Middlesbrough player may not like Sebastian Berhalter transfer | OneFootball

Law McCabe may have been in line for some senior Middlesbrough minutes this season, but the arrival of Sebastian Berhalter will limit that

One big question that has surrounded Middlesbrough this summer has been who will replace Championship Player of the Year Hayden Hackney.

It was a near-inevitability that, after Boro were beaten in the play-off final by Hull City in May, their academy star would be making the step up to the Premier League without them, especially with him hitting the final year of his deal.

Hackney joined Everton in a deal that could be worth £24 million if all add-ons are satisfied, and three weeks later, his replacement has seemingly been confirmed.

USMNT international Sebastian Berhalter, described by the Northern Echo as Boro's "leading midfield target this summer," is set to make a £1.5 million switch from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps, where he scored six and assisted four before the league break for the World Cup.

The London-born midfielder appeared in every game for Mauricio Pochettino's side this summer, starting and scoring against Turkey, and will be set to partner fellow countryman Aidan Morris in Kim Hellberg's midfield.

Unfortunately for one Boro academy graduate, though, Berhalter's imminent arrival serves as another roadblock to regular senior minutes at the Riverside.

Law McCabe's hopes of becoming Middlesbrough's next Hayden Hackney have taken a hit after transfer update

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20-year-old Law McCabe has followed in the early footsteps of Hackney, having been developed through the Middlesbrough academy since he joined their under-9s side in 2015.

McCabe is Middlesbrough-born and has close to 70 combined appearances for the under-18s and under-21s. He made his senior debut aged just 17 against Preston North End in one of three Championship appearances in the 2023/24 campaign.

Last year, it was decided that the 20-year-old needed a real taste of senior football, and he wasn't going to receive that at the Riverside. Therefore, he was sent out on loan to recently relegated League One outfit Plymouth Argyle.

Under Tom Cleverley, the Pilgrims were projected to be one of the promotion-chasers, so a year in the fold at a top third-tier side, on paper, would have been a great place for McCabe to grow. In reality, Plymouth began December propping up the table, and the Boro loanee didn't do much to contribute to that.

After just 11 League One appearances, Plymouth sent the 20-year-old back to Middlesbrough, but due to his one EFL Cup appearance for his parent club that year, Kim Hellberg was unable to loan him out anywhere else, and he had to finish the season with Boro.

McCabe made no appearances under Hellberg, but this summer would have offered him a brilliant opportunity, with a hole in the midfield, to stake his claim for more senior minutes, especially with the Swedish boss stating that he was happy to give people at the club the opportunity to increase the depth of the squad, so they didn't have to turn to the transfer market.

But with Berhalter set to join the likes of Morris and Riley McGree as pivot options, it will be difficult for the academy graduate to find regular minutes next season.

A second loan spell looks to be on the cards for Law McCabe

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McCabe was a victim of the EFL's registration rules last season. There'd have been little worry when he was sent to Plymouth that he'd be sent back, but, ultimately, that was his and Middlesbrough's sad reality of last year.

The 2026/27 campaign will likely now see Boro look to do right by the 20-year-old and send him out on loan to a club further down the EFL that they know he can make an impact for. And they'll likely ensure they don't play him before then, in case the same happens again in January.

McCabe clearly has a lot of quality and can still likely cut it in a League One midfield. He also has a lot of potential that third-tier sides should be champing at the bit to help realise.

So, if a loan move is explored, the 20-year-old shouldn't be short of suitors wanting to bring him to their club for the year.

It may be a little while longer before McCabe does get the opportunity to become Middlesbrough's next Hayden Hackney, but a strong loan move away from the Riverside this season could help accelerate that.