One Middlesbrough player could be playing his final game for the club this weekend.
It’s been topsy turvy season for Michael Carrick‘s side but of late, they’ve really shown their true potential, conceding just one defeat in the last 10 games, which came against Leeds United in a battling performance.
Boro were rampant in southeast Wales on Saturday, as they thumped Cardiff City 4-1 to move up to eighth in the Championship table.
Attention now turns toward Saturday lunchtime, as they play host to Watford at Riverside Stadium in the final match of the season.
With that said, it could be the last outing for a £20m Boro ace.
Hayden Hackney could play his final game in a Middlesbrough shirt vs Watford
Hayden Hackney has enjoyed a phenomenal season in Middlesbrough‘s engine room and such form led Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to monitor him during the January transfer window, as per The Standard.
Boro chiefs are braced for offers this summer, though, they are in a strong position as the 21-year-old is under contract until 2027 having only penned an extension last year.
EFL pundit Carlton Palmer, speaking to Football League World, revealed: “Middlesbrough’s head of football, Kieran Scott, has said that they have received interest from Premier League clubs for Hackney.
“He has stated, that the club, at present, have no interest in selling him, but he understands that, if he continues to progress and play the way that he is, that interest will continue to grow.”
Whether Saturday’s clash against the visiting Hornets is indeed Hackney’s final outing as a Boro player remains to be seen, but there is little guarantee he will be fit to play.
Hayden Hackney a doubt vs Watford
Hackney hasn’t played a single minute since mid-February when he sustained a knee injury during a 2-1 defeat to Preston North End.
The England under-21 international is close to a return but Carrick admitted that they are protecting his career.
“If it was all on the line, then with both lads (Hackney and Coburn), you could probably try to quicken the process up. But they’re both young players, and we’ve got to look after them. It’s not about now, this month, it’s about what’s further down the line for them in their career,” The Boro boss said.
“So, there’s definitely an element of that in our thinking. I’m not saying we’ve slowed it up the whole time, but certainly when we get right towards the end, there’s a real sense of working out what the priority is and what’s the best for the boys.”