New Hayden Hackney evidence could push him closer to Middlesbrough exit amid Premier League interest: View | OneFootball

Boro's midfield maestro looks to be adding goals to his game this season, and that could be a double-edged sword when it comes to keeping him.

Hayden Hackney has been a revelation for Middlesbrough since his first-team breakthrough in 2022, and the England youth international has been drawing the attention of Premier League clubs.

The 22-year-old central midfielder went from plying his trade in League Two on loan with Scunthorpe United, to starring for his boyhood club at the top end of the Championship in a matter of months.

Since then, Hackney has become an integral part of Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough side, with his ability and contribution at both ends of the pitch catching the eyes of some of English football's biggest clubs.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have all been credited with an interest in the Redcar-born midfielder, but if there was one part of his game that might have prevented him from earning a big move to the top of the Premier League, most would point to the absence of goals in his game.

But, after already equaling his goal tally from last season through his first eight appearances of the current campaign, and being just one shy of his best individual goal return in a single season during his career, he may well have added that final string to his bow...

Adding goals to his game could ramp up Premier League interest in him

To be an effective box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League, - as Hackney has the potential to be - being able to chip in with goals of your own is a vital aspect of that role.

So, despite how often Hackney finds himself in dangerous positions in and around the box, and with the knowledge of the ability he has when it comes to striking the ball, his lack of goals has puzzled Middlesbrough fans ever since his emergence in the squad.

Indeed, his 0.25 shots on target per 90 minutes was bettered by half of the Championship's players in his position last season, whilst his 0.2 shots on target per 90 from 2022/23 ranked him in the bottom 41.6 percentile among his positional peers - per FotMob.

But, the young midfielder has been providing some irrefutable evidence that things may be changing in that department through the opening stages of this season.

That's because through his first eight Championship appearances of the current campaign, Hackney has already registered 20 shots, eight of which were on target - per FotMob. The result? Some quite brilliant strikes.

A 2-0 win over Stoke City was capped by Hackney's blockbuster finish, which saw some dance away from multiple defenders before unleashing a rocket into the top corner.

Whereas a lovely side-footed finish into the far corner of the net saw him and Middlesbrough bag three precious points away at West Bromwich Albion, and will no doubt have peaked the interest of top clubs once again.

If Hackney can become a player who can score eight-12 goals from central midfield, combined with all his other attributes which have already seen him linked to top clubs and represent England at youth level, he could well become too good of a talent for Premier League clubs to pass up on any longer.

Boro can't afford to lose Hackney in January

Thanks to some excellent recruitment led by head of football Kieran Scott and Middlesbrough's scouting department, Boro appear to have built a squad that is capable of winning promotion to the Premier League this season.

Throughout the summer, the club's hierarchy made their 'not for sale' stance evidently clear to any club wishing to lure away Boro's prized possessions, despite significant interest in the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath, Rav van den Berg, and, of course, Hackney.

Recent big-money sales of Morgan Rogers, Chuba Akpom, Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier have filled Middlesbrough's coffers with tens of millions of pounds over the last few years, and as a result, has largely removed the need to cash in on their key assets.

Should Boro fail in their pursuit of Premier League promotion this season, then the club may well need to part ways with one or two of their star players in order to keep that cycle of financial security going, but for now, the club appears to be in the healthiest financial position it's been in for some time.

Therefore, Middlesbrough can afford to keep their sellable assets in January, but they certainly can't afford to lose them. Hackney and summer signing Aidan Morris are forming one of the best central midfield partnerships outside the Premier League, and breaking that up at the halfway point of the season could be catastrophic.

As such, Carrick should convince his key contributors to see through the promotion push on Teesside this season, and if they aren't plying their trade in the Premier League with Middlesbrough next season anyway, then perhaps it would be fair to allow them to pursue those opportunities if they arise, and if they so wish.

With Hackney being a local lad and a fan of the club, leaving Middlesbrough is something you would have to think he would not want to do. But, if Boro are once again a Championship club next season, it may be tough to retain the likes of Hackney for much longer.