•  Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney is being monitored by Nottingham Forest, who may make a move for him in January or next summer.
•  Hackney, who has impressed with his quality on the ball and ability to drive forward, has caught the attention of Forest’s sporting director Ross Wilson.
•  Despite transfer speculation, staying at Middlesbrough would be the best thing for Hackney’s development, although he may have ambitions to play at the highest level in the future.

Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney is on the radar of Nottingham Forest, as they consider a move for the midfielder in January or next summer.

Who is Hayden Hackney?

The 21-year-old has been a real beneficiary of Michael Carrick’s appointment at the Riverside Stadium, as the ex-Man United coach gave Hackney an opportunity in the XI last season, and it’s one he took.

Having come through the ranks at Boro, the midfielder has impressed with his quality on the ball, and his ability to drive forward, which has also seen him earn international recognition with the England U21 side.

Nottingham Forest monitor Hayden Hackney

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his breakthrough at Boro over the past 12 months or so has caught attention, and The Sun has revealed that Hackney has been watched in recent games by Forest sporting director Ross Wilson.

The update states that the Premier League outfit have been impressed by Hackney, and they could make a move for him in January, although it’s not out of the question that they wait until next summer, as Forest place a focus on signing more domestic players to help Steve Cooper’s squad.

Interestingly, it’s added that Lewis O’Brien could be used in any potential deal, with the midfielder currently on loan at Boro from Forest for the current campaign.

Is Hayden Hackney ready for the step up?

Like most of his teammates, Hackey hasn’t hit the heights expected overall this season, but anyone who saw him play in the previous campaign will recognise this is someone with talent to play at the highest level.

You sometimes forget just how young he is, but to be playing in the Championship, week in, week out, is some achievement for the player, and he has the raw tools to go a long way in the game.

But, Boro will no doubt be hoping he continues to fulfil that potential with them, and you would have to say staying on Teesside is the best thing for his development.

If he did move to Forest, Hackney would need assurances that he would get game time, but that’s going to be difficult given the quality Cooper has in the middle of the park.

What next for Middlesbrough?

Of course, any transfer speculation doesn’t matter for much right now, as the deal can’t go through until January at the earliest, so Hackney won’t be letting that distract him at the moment.

We know that Boro endured a torrid start to the season, but the win over Southampton on Saturday felt like a big moment for Carrick, and he will be demanding his side kick-on and improve over the coming weeks as they try to climb the table.

In the long-term, Hackney will have ambitions to play at the highest level, but, given his connection to the club, he will be desperate to achieve those goals with Middlesbrough.

So, he won’t be in a rush to leave, and it’s now about trying to return to the form he showed in the previous campaign to help the team.

Boro are back in action with a trip to Bradford in the League Cup this week, before they take on Watford next weekend in the Championship.