Newcastle United retain an interest in the Middlesbrough captain
Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough acknowledges the fans
Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough acknowledges the fans(Image: Getty Images)
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Newcastle United will continue to monitor the form of Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney - but any summer move for the midfielder has a catch.
The Magpies are admirers of the 23-year-old and Chronicle Live revealed last month that they have sent scouts to watch the Boro captain this season.
Hackney rejected a £20million bid from Ipswich Town last season to stay with his hometown club, and was also the subject of a deadline day bid from Nottingham Forest.
However, Boro were adamant that the player wasn't for sale as they continue their promotion push. Kim Hellberg's side are second in the Championship table, with Hackney playing a key role.
The England U21 international has just 18 months left on his Boro contract and admitted he wanted to stay this month in a bid to get his boyhood side promoted. Newcastle know that they could move for Hackney in the summer if the Teessiders don't go up, but appreciate that if Boro are in the Premier League then Hackney is likely to extend his stay at the Riverside.
Hellberg admitted that he was worried he could lose Matt Targett back to Newcastle before the transfer window closed, but said that he was always confident Hackney would remain at the club due to his conversations with the player and his attitude around the training ground.
Hellberg said: “I actually felt quite comfortable with him being here. All the discussions told me he wants to be here. You can see that he wants to be here, he wants to achieve big things here, and he wants to play here for the moment.
“So I was never worried about him going anywhere, actually. I put my belief in him, and so I was not so worried about that one. We’re very lucky to have him, of course.
“I'm proud of how he has performed, but also how he is as a person,” the Boro boss continued. “We’ve talked about that so many times. He's been excellent and it's been helping me a lot in terms of being that type of captain, being that type of person.
“Still being at the top of his game on the pitch, but also being top off the pitch. That's as good a player as you can have as a coach.
“He helps me a lot with driving the training environment forward all the time, and helping everyone in the group. So, yeah, of course, I've been lucky to have that type of person and player.”
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