Middlesbrough may regret not cashing in on Premier League target once rated at £25m | OneFootball

Hayden Hackney faces an important few months both in terms of the impact he can have on Boro's promotion hopes and his transfer value.

Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney has been the subject of big-money transfer interest from the Premier League for some time.

Boro have a long and proud history of producing quality young players from their Category 1 academy system, with traces of Teesside-produced talent visible in leagues all across world football.

One of the club's biggest homemade success stories in recent years is central midfielder Hayden Hackney, with the 22-year-old breaking into Middlesbrough's first team back in the early stages of the 2022/23 season.

The England youth international quickly became a key part of Michael Carrick's midfield, with his impressive performances drawing the attention of elite clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

With Premier League interest mounting in the Redcar-born midfielder once again in the build up to this season's January transfer window, The Teessiders were reported to have slapped a £25m valuation on him, whilst also ruling out a mid-season sale.

However, Hackney has been struggling for form over the last few months, and should that continue, Middlesbrough could end up regretting not cashing in.

In the tempo-controlling, ball retention, slow build-up system that Carrick employs at Middlesbrough, there's arguably no area of the pitch more critical to the team's success than central midfield.

When Boro win the battle for control in the middle of the park, it tends to coincide with points being collected. Therefore, it's been no surprise to see the Teessiders struggling to record three points in recent weeks.

Prior to their 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on 21 January, Middlesbrough had won just two of their last nine Championship games (Millwall and Hull) stretching back to a 1-1 draw with Burnley on 6 December.

A big reason for their lack of wins was the poor performances from central midfield pairing Dan Barlaser and Hackney, a duo that was formed following a serious injury to Aidan Morris in mid-November.

As outlined in the table above, heading into Boro's 29th match of the 2024/25 season v Preston North End, Hackney is recording his lowest numbers of his senior Middlesbrough career in key midfield metrics such as pass accuracy, long ball accuracy, dribble success, recoveries per 90 and percentage of duels won respectively - per FotMob.

If he can't improve upon those numbers between now and the end of the season, Middlesbrough may struggle to generate interest or justify commanding a price-tag of £25m until he does so.

West Brom performance coupled with Aidan Morris return could bring the best back out of Hackney

However, it's no coincidence that his best performances of the season have almost exclusively been when US international Morris is playing alongside him.

The 23-year-old summer signing from MLS side Columbus Crew made his long-awaited return to the starting lineup for Boro's victory over the Baggies, and the quality levels in Middlesbrough's engine room was night and day compared to what had been served up over the last few weeks.

Boro took control of the middle of the park from the first minute of the game, and didn't concede it until the final whistle blew. Morris' return instantly reinstalled belief and composure in Hackney, his shoulders went back, and he put in one of his best performances of the season so far.

It was also an evening in which Hackney would bag his first goal since Boro's 3-3 draw with Plymouth Argyle on 21 December, and what a strike it was too, as his powerful and swerving long-raged effort beat Alex Palmer in the Albion goal.

If Hackney can carry this West Brom performance forwards and get back to the levels he was playing at alongside Morris in the early weeks of the season, then Middlesbrough won't regret not cashing in whatsoever.

It's going to be a fascinating and crucial few months for the young midfielder, as a big resurgence from him in the business end of the season could make all the difference when it comes to Boro's promotion hopes, as well as his transfer valuation.