"£12m-15m" - Prediction made on Hayden Hackney's future at Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Highlights

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Hayden Hackney has been a standout figure for Middlesbrough over the last 12 months.

The midfielder made his breakthrough into the first team squad following the appointment of Michael Carrick as manager last season.

He has gone from strength to strength, becoming a key part of the side in that time.

This has naturally led to question marks over his future, with it being reported that top Premier League clubs are scouting his progress at the Riverside.

Most recently, West Ham have emerged as a potential next destination for the 21-year-old.

Middlesbrough fan pundit expects Hackney departure

FLW’s Boro fan pundit Dana Malt expects Hackney to depart the Teesside outfit this summer, as he believes the club will not be able to gain promotion to the Premier League.

She believes that the player is worth an eight-figure sum, but that his value has probably declined slightly in recent months due to a dip in performance.

“I do think Hayden Hackney will leave if Boro don’t get promoted, and by the looks of things Boro are likely to not get promoted,” Malt told Football League World.

“I would even stretch it as far as to say Boro are likely to not even finish inside the top six, so based on that I am expecting him to leave in the summer.

“In regards to a price, I think fans can sometimes over-inflate a player that represents their football club.

“For me, I think somewhere between £12 to 15 million I think is probably about right.

“If I was to have answered this a couple of months ago, I would have said more, but I think his performance levels have taken a bit of a dip recently.

“Which is probably owing to the injury that kept him out for a couple of weeks.

“He is currently out injured again, so does that knock off the value? I don’t know, but I do expect him to leave in the summer.”

Middlesbrough league position

Middlesbrough earned a big win over league leaders Leicester City last weekend, with Finn Azaz scoring a brace to seal all three points.

This maintained the team’s 13th place position, with the gap to the play-off places still seven points.

Next up for Carrick’s side is a home game against Plymouth Argyle on 24 February.

Hackney’s future is in the Premier League

Hackney has already been recognised on the international stage by being called-up to the England U21 side this season, an indication of his potential.

That he is being scouted by top Premier League sides is no surprise, and a move to West Ham in the summer would be an incredible opportunity.

If a top flight side makes an offer close to £15 million, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Middlesbrough accept.

A lack of consistency this campaign has cost the team a proper promotion challenge, so it will take a lot to overturn their deficit to the top six to gain a place back in the Premier League for next season.