Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg has broken his silence on talented midfielder Hayden Hackney's future at the club amid transfer links with Manchester United
Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney has been linked with a surprise reunion with Michael Carrick at Man United.(Image: )
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Kim Hellberg is confident that Hayden Hackney will remain at Middlesbrough during this month's transfer window, despite inevitable speculation linking him with Manchester United. Hackney has continued to shine for Boro in their promotion campaign this season.
His performances have naturally attracted Premier League interest this month, although no firm bids are understood to have materialised thus far.
Recent reports have suggested Manchester United are monitoring the situation, with a potential £30 million move being discussed. The speculation intensified following Michael Carrick's appointment as head coach at Old Trafford last week.
Carrick, of course, was the manager under whom Hackney truly established himself in Boro's first team, with the player frequently acknowledging how much he developed under the former England international.
Nevertheless, the authenticity of Manchester United's pursuit remains unclear. The connection appears somewhat predictable, whilst Carrick's initial deal at Old Trafford only runs until the season's conclusion, reports Teesside Live.
As for Hackney, he has shown no indication of being unsettled by the transfer talk, with Hellberg making it abundantly clear that the 23-year-old is content to remain at his boyhood club, leaving the Boro manager optimistic about retaining him 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.
Michael Carrick and Hayden Hackney
Michael Carrick and Hayden Hackney(Image: Craig Thomas/News Images)
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"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."
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When asked about potentially losing Hackney during the current transfer window, Hellberg brushed aside the speculation as something he wasn't entertaining at this point.
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."