"I hope" - Gary Pallister urges Middlesbrough stance over player Man United have previously been linked with | OneFootball

Former Middlesbrough and Manchester United legend Gary Pallister has been discussing a potential Premier League transfer for Boro midfielder Hayden Hackney.

A boyhood Boro fan, Pallister knows all about making a move from the club you grew up supporting to one of world football's biggest sides.

That is because, back in 1989, "Pally" swapped Middlesbrough for Manchester United, in a £2.3m move that broke the national record for a fee paid for a defender, as well as being the highest fee between two British clubs.

Fast-forward to over three decades later, and history could be set to repeat itself, as another Teessider could be primed to make a switch to Old Trafford, as The Red Devils reportedly hold an interest in Boro's England youth international.

So what does Pallister make of a potential big money move for Hackney this summer? Should he stay or should he go?

Pallister: "I hope" Boro retain Hackney

Speaking on whether Middlesbrough will be able to retain the services of Hackney amid previous links to the top six sides, Pallister said to Football League World on behalf of BetVictor: "It's a tough one. You always want to better yourself.

"You always want to play in the top-flight. He's a local lad, so there will be that tie there for him. It depends on how big the club is that comes knocking, I guess.

"He would discuss that with his agent and probably with his family if it were to happen. But it is very difficult to stop people progressing.

"Back to my day when I decided to leave Middlesbrough, we'd just been relegated and I wanted to stay in the top league so I kind of get it.

"But from a selfish point of view, I hope he stays."

Pallister may well get his wish too, as Middlesbrough's head of football Kieran Scott told The Twe12th man Podcast, via Teesside Live, recently: "You talk about ambition and wanting to get to the Premier League, you can't be losing players like Hayden.

"He's one we want to keep, he's a Redcar boy, a local boy, he loves the club and wants to stay. I can't be naive, if he continues to develop at the rate and outgrows us, it's inevitable clubs will come."

Hackney would be a huge loss for Boro

Since breaking into a Boro side which was then under the temporary care of then goalkeeping coach - and cult legend - Leo Percovich following the sacking of Chris Wilder, Hackney has been a vital cog in manager Michael Carrick's side.

Injury woes prevented the 21-year-old from playing as big of a role as he would've liked this season, having only been able to make 21 Championship appearances this season.

Had Hackney been available for the full campaign, he could've been the one to make the difference between Boro making a top six finish, and the four points short they ultimately fell.

During the 2022/23 season that saw Boro lose to Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals, Hackney showed his worth in the 34 league games he played.

His 1,785 successful passes were only bettered by four percent of Championship holding midfield players that season, whilst his 89% pass accuracy saw only just over three percent of second tier players in his position score better, per FotMob.

Boro can expect a sizeable fee should Hackney leave

If worse comes to worst and Middlesbrough do lose their talisman midfielder this summer, a sizeable fee will help soften the blow to Carrick and his squad.

Boro will likely hold out for a fee similar to those in the region they've been selling their prized assests such as Morgan Rogers, Chuba Akpom and before them the likes of Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier.

The majority of those deals all included add-ons that could take their final fees closer to the £15-20m bracket.

This is in the ballpark that Middlesbrough will likely be playing a transfer tug of war in over Hackney, should offers arrive for their prized asset this summer.