Why Man Utd and half the Premier League want Hayden Hackney – and what the numbers really say

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 9 Mar 2026 06:47 CDT
• 5 min read

Analysis

Manchester United, Tottenham, Everton, Fulham and Leeds all want to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough. Here’s why.

Hackney reinforced his status as the most exciting player in the Championship on Sunday as Middlesbrough dismantled QPR 4-0.

The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to a Premier League club, with Manchester United thought to be leading the race for the Redcar-born star.

But the Red Devils are far from alone: Tottenham, Everton, Fulham and Leeds are all tracking the England U21 star, who has become the most exciting prospect in the second tier.

Hackney hailed by Hellberg

“He’s getting better all the time,” Boro boss Kim Hellberg explained after the victory over QPR.

“He’s a top player. He has everything and will end up being in the Premier League someday, hopefully with us.

“The quality he has as a player is unbelievable – the way he drives with the ball and he is also working on his finishing.

“He’s unbelievable to work with – such a pleasure and just a great guy for us to work with.”

The best midfielder in the Championship

Those qualities that Hellberg singled out have been evident for much of the season. Hackney is rated by data analytics experts SciSports as the best central midfielder in the Championship this term. With four goals and six assists in 34 appearances, his offensive figures are not outstanding, but his game is about so much more than that.

He is classed as a box-to-box midfielder by SciSports, but shows elements of being both a deep-lying playmaker and a ball-winning midfielder. With excellent speed and stamina, he is a technical star and a physical monster, which has helped earmark him for big things.

In particular, he is an excellent ball carrier who is capable of progressing play with the ball at his feet – a rather unique ability for a central midfielder to boast and something akin to the way that Bruno Fernandes interprets the role at Man Utd. For that reason, United’s pursuit of the player makes a good deal of sense; he could replace the Portugal talisman in the long term stylistically.

Hackney is an excellent all-round attacker, SciSports’ data shows. He rates in the top third of players in the Championship in five of their six key disciplines – passing, crossing, dribbling, finishing and offensive positioning – often in the very top performers in these categories. He misses out only in terms of his ball retention.

His defensive numbers are not so impressive but given that his key work is done in terms of progressing the ball forwards, there is nothing to worry about in this regard.

How good can he become?

Untested in the Premier League and turning 24 in the summer, how good can Hackney become?

This is a difficult question to answer since he has rarely faced elite opponents, and SciSports has doubts over his ability to impose at the highest level.

It gives Hackney a current SciSkill of 76.7, which is based on hundreds of in-game data points. This is unimpressive at a Premier League level. Mason Mount, the lowest-rated of Man Utd’s five central midfielders, scores 93.3.

Hackney’s ceiling, meanwhile, is predicted to be 92.7.

This suggests he is not a sure-fire bet to succeed in the Premier League and will have to perform above his predicted level to succeed at the likes of Man Utd.

What next for Hackney?

Having proven himself in the Championship, the next logical step for Hackney is the Premier League.

Should Boro win promotion, they will have a fighting chance of retaining their ace for one more season at least. The clamour around the player is such that big-money offers are inevitable.

His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €22.3 million, but realistically it will take a far bigger offer to prize him away from Middlesbrough.

Leeds are seen as his best Premier League option, according to SciSports’ Career Advice tool, which rates each club based on a wide variety of criteria, including development opportunities, game time, playing style and formation.

The Elland Road club score a very healthy 84 and rank ahead of both Newcastle (77) and Arsenal (74).

Man Utd are not seen as such a strong option for Hackney. According to SciSports, the development opportunities are limited at Old Trafford and they are a weak fit both in terms of style and formation. With uncertainty over who their manager will be next season, this figure should be taken with a pinch of salt, particularly since he is already known to interim boss Michael Carrick.

Hackney will be playing in the Premier League next season, but who for and just how far this exciting talent can go is yet to be revealed.

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