There will be disappointment on Teesside with the news that Hayden Hackney wants to leave Middlesbrough if a Premier League club comes in for him, and one of the biggest of them all could be among those on alert.
Middlesbrough has a flawless start to the 2025–26 Championship season, having won three of their first three games. However, the announcement that Hayden Hackney, their much sought-after midfield player, wishes to quit the team during the summer transfer window in the event that a Premier League club makes an approach has created a serious issue.
Supporters will be extremely disappointed by this news, given it was recently stated that Boro had opted not to entertain any offers for Hackney during this transfer window. However, there may be a lot of choices and interest for the player himself, and some of the greatest teams in the world may be convinced to have a look at him.
Manchester United could be alerted to Hayden Hackney’s availability after Carlos Baleba miss
With just one point from their opening two League games, no goals from open play, and criticism of head coach Ruben Amorim already beginning to mount, Manchester United’s 2025–26 campaign hasn’t gotten off to a great start. Even though they have been lacking in the middle of the pitch for some time, one of the main complaints leveled at them throughout the summer has been that they have prioritized attacking players over midfielders in the transfer market.
Carlos Baleba, a midfielder for Brighton, has been linked to United and would undoubtedly be their first choice. However, Brighton is unwilling to sell, and at a price tag of over £100 million, he is not a player that United can currently afford, especially considering the decline in revenue they will be facing this season due to their dismal 15th-place Premier League finish and their inability to qualify for European football.
But if Baleba is out of their current price range, Hayden Hackney might well not be. Middlesbrough were looking at offers in the region of £20 million for the player earlier in the summer, including one from Ipswich Town which collapsed because the player himself didn’t want to go to Portman Road.
Hayden Hackney could offer an answer to Manchester United’s midfield woes
It wouldn’t be the first time Manchester United has expressed interest in Hayden Hackney this summer if they were to make a move for the youngster before the transfer window ends. Prior to Hackney rejecting the transfer to Portman Road, Give Me Sport claimed at the beginning of August that United might be planning to sabotage the sale to Ipswich.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that Manchester United requires midfield strengthening. Their attacking opportunities have been limited by a lack of inventiveness in the middle of the pitch in both of their Premier League games thus far this season, which have resembled the later parts of last season. The two players’ heatmaps are remarkably comparable, and although Bruno has superior raw figures than Hackney, he is a seasoned international starter as opposed to a 23-year-old who has never played a minute of Premier League football.
This issue may be about to become even more urgent. According to The Athletic, United has been searching all summer for a replacement for captain and talismanic midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who has been the target of bids from Saudi Arabia. However, the current smart money would bet on him staying with the team until the following summer due to the World Cup, while Kobbie Mainoo also appears to be surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and may be leaving before next Monday’s transfer deadline.
For Hackney, there would be hazards. Manchester United is under more pressure than most clubs, and it’s not like the team has a stellar record for developing the players it has acquired in the last ten or so years. The obvious counterargument to this, however, is Manchester United, one of the world’s most renowned and illustrious football teams. If they were to make him an offer, he could regret turning them down at leisure because it might be the only one he receives from them.
For Middlesbrough fans, who have had a great start to the new season, this would be a major letdown. Hackney is a local boy that attended their school. If they can continue to play the kind of football they have at the beginning of this season, people will believe that he could stay with them and play in the Premier League next season.
Hayden Hackney seems to be no exception to the harsh fact of the professional game, which is that most players outside of the Premier League wish they were playing at that level. If he leaves in the next days, they will undoubtedly miss him terribly, regardless of how much money Boro may be able to receive for him.
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