Middlesborough star Hayden Hackney is reportedly one of the midfield players Manchester United are interested in this summer.
Manchester United’s priority at the beginning of this summer was to strengthen their underperforming forward line after such a dismal campaign.
Matheus Cunha has been signed, and the club are also attempting to complete deals for Bryan Mbeumo and Viktor Gyokeres in the coming weeks.
Ruben Amorim will have an entirely new front three if everything goes to plan but there is more transfer business for the club to complete.
With question marks over the best midfield partner for Bruno Fernandes, it is very likely that the Reds try and sign another central midfielder this summer.
Hackney details Carrick conversation after sack
There have not been many links to midfield players – Ederson from Atalanta has been the main rumour but Championship midfielder Hayden Hackney is another who United are interested in.
Hackney, 22, is one of the top prospects in England’s second tier and developed under Michael Carrick at Middlesborough over the last few years.
Carrick, a United legend, was sacked from his post at the Riverside Stadium after the end of the season and Hackney expressed that he was ‘gutted’ when he found out about the news.
The midfielder’s rise under Carrick has seen him receive a call-up to England Under-21s for the U21 European Championships this summer and he even received a good luck message from his former boss.
“Yeah I was gutted about Michael Carrick [getting sacked] to be honest. He’s done loads for me,” Hackney said, per SunSport.
“He put his trust in me to play the majority of games and helped me so much with everything really. I can’t thank him enough for that.
“I text him straight away wishing him all the best in the future and he replied wishing me good luck for going away with England. It was nice.”
United’s transfer stance on Hackney revealed
There hasn’t been too much detail about United’s interest in Hackney over recent months but Graeme Bailey provided the latest information.
“A host of Premier League clubs like him, and it will be very hard to see Middlesbrough keeping hold of him this summer,” Bailey told UnitedInFocus.
“United are aware of Hackney, we know they have been doing work on the Championship in recent months, and he is one of those players who has impressed them.”
The transfer expert also clarified that Hackney is not at the top of the list for INEOS but that those at Old Trafford have previously had conversations with Carrick about him.
If United were to sign Hackney, he would be the first Championship signing at the club since Dan James in the summer of 2019.
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