EXCLUSIVE: The ECHO sat down with the summer signing to discuss his move from Middlesbrough and the campaign ahead
Hayden Hackney of Everton during the pre-season friendly match between Stoke City and Everton at Bet365 Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Hayden Hackney of Everton during the pre-season friendly match between Stoke City and Everton at Bet365 Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
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It was a straightforward choice. That, of itself, is a statement that should breed optimism in and around Everton.
As the dust settled on Middlesbrough’s play-off final defeat, the departure of homegrown starlet Hayden Hackney became inevitable. He had held on in the hope of guiding the club back to the Premier League. While the side missed out on a return to the top flight, Hackney’s rise to zenith of English football would not be stopped.
At one point, more than a third of the Premier League had an interest in the Championship player of the year. For him, the interest was only reciprocated in one direction.
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“It was my number one. I wanted to come here,” Hackney told the ECHO.
“It was always my number one. It was quite similar to Middlesbrough. Obviously, Everton is a massive club, it's a big club. But the fanbase - I feel like the people are pretty similar. So yeah, it was easy.
“It was just instinct, I think. When it came, I just felt instantly that was the one that I wanted. And yeah, it just happened the way I wanted to. It was perfect.”
The size of the club and the nature of its fanbase helped tip the balance in favour of the Blues but there were other factors. One of the most important was the reputation of manager David Moyes.
Referring to a track record that has seen Moyes make stars of Championship signings - from Tim Cahill to Phil Jagielka and, at West Ham United, Jarrod Bowen - Hackney explained Moyes’ pitch to him this summer was useful but, given what he already knew, to some extent unnecessary: “His past, what he's done with Championship players, that is something that obviously drew me. I wanted to be a part of this.
“He didn't really have to say much because it was all there, the things he's done with the Championship players, the size of the club. But yeah, he did [try to sell Everton]. And he made it very easy for me.”
The input of others helped - Hackney is good friends with Jarrad Branthwaite, the pair having spent time together with England’s Under-21s, and messages flowed between them.
On those exchanges, Branthwaite told the ECHO in Stuttgart: “I was messaging him. It took quite a while, I was always onto him saying: ‘What's going on?’ I’m buzzing for him to be here. He’s a top boy who can help us massively throughout the season.”
Hackney, who was speaking to the ECHO at the luxury Öschberghof resort hidden away in the German countryside close to the Black Forest, said Branthwaite’s insistence he would quickly feel at home with his new side had taken just days to come true.
Having settled in quickly, attention has turned to Hackney’s growth on the pitch. After initially being carefully managed at the start of the summer due to the injury that ended last season prematurely, he has become a key part of the Blues’ pre-season.
Hackney’s positivity has been a key feature of the friendlies, his willingness to help the team progress up the pitch an obvious feature of his play. The player, who feels he can play as a 6 or 10 but states the 8 as his strongest position, said: “That's probably one of my biggest positives I can bring to the team, moving the play forward, breaking the lines with passes, and also with running with the ball. I want to play forward. I might lose it sometimes, but the time that it does get through, hopefully will come in as a chance or lead to a goal. That is want to do that for the team.
“I'll always want the ball. Even if I've lost it the time before. I'm not going to hide. I always want to try my best for the team and create chances and move the ball forward as quick as possible. I'm always going to do that.”
With Christian Norgaard, Tim Iroegbunam and James Garner injured, the only question for the season opener against Crystal Palace on Saturday is whether he will make his debut within the starting line-up or from the bench.
That will be a good start for the midfielder who, asked about his ambition for the season, said: “It’s playing as many games as I possibly can. Obviously, if I'm not playing I'll work 100% to make sure that I will play the next week. And, yeah, just doing what they've brought me in to do, really, which is to carry the ball and play forward as quickly as possible, create chances and hopefully score a few goals and get some assists as well.”