Sebastian Berhalter to replace Hackney at Middlesbrough? New update emerges | OneFootball

Middlesbrough are on the hunt for a replacement for Hayden Hackney after his move to Everton, but it looks unlikely to be Sebastian Berhalter.

Middlesbrough are preparing for another season in the Championship after missing out on promotion.

Middlesbrough spent much of last season in the automatic promotion spots, but a run of just four wins from their final 15 games saw them drop out of the top two, with Kim Hellberg's men eventually finishing the campaign in fifth.

Despite losing 2-1 to Southampton in their play-off semi-final, Boro were handed a promotion lifeline when the Saints were expelled from the final as punishment for the 'spygate' affair, but the Teesside outfit failed to take advantage of their second chance as they were beaten 1-0 by Hull City at Wembley.

As they look to launch another promotion push next season, Boro have made one new signing so far this summer, with attacker Myles Peart-Harris arriving on a free transfer from Brentford, but they have also lost two of their star men in defender Dael Fry and midfielder Hayden Hackney.

Fry departed the Riverside Stadium after more than two decades when he joined Championship rivals Birmingham City last week, while after weeks of speculation over his future, Hackney made the move to Premier League side Everton for an initial fee of £16.5 million, plus a further £8 million in add-ons.

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Hackney won the Championship Player of the Season award after an outstanding campaign that saw him score six goals and provide eight assists in 41 appearances, so it will be no easy task for Middlesbrough to replace their academy graduate.

After Hackney's move to Everton was confirmed last week, speculation began to gather pace on social media that Boro were set to sign Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.

Berhalter has scored 20 goals and provided 26 assists in 167 appearances for the Whitecaps since arriving from Columbus Crew in February 2022, while he has also become a regular for the United States at international level over the past year under Mauricio Pochettino.

The 25-year-old featured in all five of the USMNT's World Cup matches as they reached the last 16 of the tournament, scoring and registering an assist on his only start in the 3-2 defeat to Turkey in the final round of the group stage.

Boro have successfully recruited from the MLS in the past, with Aidan Morris becoming a standout performer at the Riverside Stadium after making the switch from Columbus Crew in 2024, and they have again been linked with his former teammate Max Arfsten this summer.

The rumours involving Berhalter went into overdrive after it was spotted that he follows Boro on Instagram, but Teesside Live's Craig Johns has revealed that the club are not looking to pursue a deal for the midfielder.

However, while Berhalter is not a player on Boro's radar, they are said to be working on a number of deals that are not currently public knowledge, so there could be further incomings at the Riverside Stadium in the not-too-distant future.

Middlesbrough facing big midfield problem after Hayden Hackney exit

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Middlesbrough won just two of their 10 games without Hackney towards the end of last season while he was sidelined with a calf injury, and their automatic promotion push collapsed in his absence, which highlights just how big a void he will leave in midfield.

Berhalter caught the eye with his performances for the USMNT during the World Cup, and his numbers for Vancouver Whitecaps suggest that he could have been a suitable replacement for Hackney, so there will be some disappointment among Boro supporters that he is not on the club's list of targets.

However, Boro will likely have been preparing for Hackney's departure for some time, and the £16.5 million income from his sale to Everton will certainly come in useful as they continue the search for midfield reinforcements.