Hayden Hackney continues to be linked with a Middlesbrough exit
15:00, 20 Jan 2026
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 10: Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough in action during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Fulham and Middlesbrough on January 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Hayden Hackney in action during the FA Cup match between Fulham and Middlesbrough on January 10, 2026, where he enhanced his growing reputation by putting a finishing touch to a fine team move(Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Kim Hellberg believes Hayden Hackney will stay at Middlesbrough in this month’s transfer window, amid inevitable links to Manchester United.
Hackney continues to star for Boro in this season’s promotion push. His name continues to be linked with the Premier League this month, though as yet, there aren’t believed to have been any concrete offers.
Some reports have now suggested Manchester United are interested, with a £30 million deal mooted. It comes after Michael Carrick was appointed head coach at Old Trafford last week.
Carrick was of course the man who Hackney really cemented his first-team place under at Boro, and spoke often about how much he developed under the former midfield star.
However, how genuine Manchester United’s interest is remains to be seen. The link feels a rather obvious one, while Carrick’s initial contract at Old Trafford is only until the end of the season.
As for Hackney, he continues to show no sign of distraction amid the speculation, with Hellberg clear in his understanding that the 23-year-old is happy to stay at his boyhood club, leaving the Boro boss confident they can keep him in this transfer window.
Hellberg said: "I like him very much and if I could decide I would say ‘not for sale!’ But that will not come down to me. But I think he wants to stay here, you can see him being very, very happy and how he works. So hopefully he’s with us this year and further on.
“He is very important, of course. He’s a top player and a top person. He is top in every aspect of the game. I think he’s defending good, he’s good offensively, he’s helping his team-mates and I’ve said that before.
“I think his most impressive thing is how he is as a person because he could be easily, like you start thinking about other things when you get those big clubs that are after you.
“They should be after him, because he’s a top player and I think he would be able to play in a lot of Premier League teams and do well, because that’s how good he is. That’s how good he is as a person and how good he is as a player.
“But he’s been just staying so focused on everything, just helping everyone. It doesn’t matter, he helps absolutely everyone. Even if some of the players haven’t played, he helps them, he tries to coach them, he’s actually unbelievable.
“It’s that I’m most impressed with because you can see him on the pitch and you just look at him and say, ‘Wow, that’s an absolutely top player.’ But to combine that by being that type of team person, team player, and human being, I think that is unbelievable.”
Hellberg went on to dismiss a question about the thought of losing Hackney this month as a hypothetical situation he was not even considering at this stage.
He added: “I’m working with him while he is here. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. He’s here, he’s working hard, he’s training hard, so that’s the only thing I think about. I cannot go and think, ‘Oh what will happen if he goes?’. It’s too many thoughts.
“I need to focus on every day here, and he’s here and he’s doing it great. Then, of course, that’s up to everyone around to see what will happen. But again, he’s important for us and he’s a top player.”
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