Everton midfielder Hayden Hackney reflected on the influence of the now-Manchester United head coach
Michael Carrick and Hayden Hackney
Michael Carrick and Hayden Hackney(Image: Craig Thomas/News Images)
Hayden Hackney has praised the role of Michael Carrick in his development to becoming a Premier League player, saying he ‘can’t thank enough’.
Hackney achieved his career ambition this summer, as he completed a move to Everton to become a top flight star.
It followed an excellent season at Boro where the Teessider won the Championship player of the year award.
But the road to that point started much earlier, with now-Manchester United boss Carrick using his experience as an elite midfielder to help develop the young star, who’d only recently joined the Boro first-team as he arrived in post at the Riverside.
In an interview with the Athletic, Hackney said of Carrick: “I can’t thank him enough, really. We would do unit work and he was always with the midfielders.
"It was just different things that I would never have thought of: positioning, knowing when to jump and stuff.
“As a kid, I was taught to take your first touch out of your feet. He was saying take it into your feet and you can pass it straight forward without the other midfielders being ready for it.
“He brought out (the idea) to pass forward as much as possible and not be worried about giving it away because if you keep doing that, the pass that you make that the forward breaks the lines (with) will be the one that opens something up or creates the goal.
"He almost doubled down on that, which I’ve put into my game.”
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Though his short time playing Rob Edwards was not mentioned, he also spoke highly of the current Boro boss, who he's previously praised for taking the shackles off.
“He was very good at allowing the players to do what they were best at,” said Hackney of Hellberg.
“And putting everyone in the position, for example, for me to be able to pass forward or to run with the ball, get into the box to score a goal, or be in the right position for the counter-press.”
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