Everton signed Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough earlier this month.
After winning the Championship Player of the Season award, David Moyes and his chiefs moved quickly to sign Hayden Hackney.
Everton are believed to have paid around £16m for his signature, which looks a real bargain in this market.
Just focusing on Everton’s right-back search, who should the club bring in this summer and why? 🤔
From Spence, to White, to Norton-Cuffy, there have been links to so many players so far…
The 23-year-old didn’t feature in the Toffees’ first pre-season game against Dundee FC, but could make his debut against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Ahead of that, we’ve picked out four facts you might not know about Hackney.
Hayden Hackney has already proved himself vs Premier League opposition
Despite never playing in the Premier League, Hackney has already proved himself against some of the best teams in the country.
During the 2023/24 campaign, the midfield playmaker starred in Middlesbrough’s Carabao Cup run to the last four.
Hackney captained his boyhood club for the first time against Aston Villa and then scored the winning goal in the semi-finals first-leg against Chelsea.
Hackney is eligible to play for England and Scotland
Hackney, who was born in Redcar, is eligible to play for England and Scotland, as his mother was born in Edinburgh.
The 23-year-old has represented both countries at youth level but most recently played for the Three Lions’ under-21s.
Hackney had a tough loan at Scunthorpe United
When Hackney was 19, Middlesbrough decided to ship him out on loan to League Two outfit Scunthorpe United.
He made 31 appearances for Scunthorpe during the 2021/22 campaign and was only on the winning side in two of those games.
It was a really tough year for the club as they suffered relegation to the National League.
Reflecting on the hardest part of that loan, Hackney told The Guardian: “Well, apart from trying to get a result … I like to get the ball on the floor and make things happen and a lot of the time the ball was in the air so that side of my game really improved.
“I had to get on the second balls, because that, really, was the only time I had the ball at my feet. So if I could try and get on the second balls and create something from there, that was my chance.”
Hackney is an under-21 European champion
Hackney was actually part of the England under-21 side that won the European Championships in 2025.
He only played 102 minutes at the tournament, but he did register an assist from the bench against Spain in the semi-finals.
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