Following on from his player of the match performance against Luxembourg, Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney put in a dominant display For the England U21 side’s emphatic 9-1 win against Serbia.
The midfielder who has enjoyed some excellent form of late, was praised by his club boss Michael Carrick during the last international break where he was described as ‘the best player on the pitch by quite some way’, and he once again gave a good account of himself on the international stage.
Lee Carsley’s side, which was littered with some of the countries brightest talents, made what should have been a relatively stiff test look like a training match as they obliterated their European opponents at Nottingham’s City Ground.
In much the same way he does for Boro, Hackney was at the fulcrum of just about all of what was good about England’s display and whilst stats do not account for everything, they can give an idea of how a player performed and the 21-year-old’s stats for the game were out of this world.
His pass completion rate was a ridiculously impressive 99%, with 92 out of his 93 passes finding their target. He also had 105 touches throughout the full 90 minutes. All this bearing in mind it was only his second game in the Under 21 set-up.
Carrick’s main-stay
He may not have stole the headlines in terms of the goals scored or even assists, but without his inclusion, it is unlikely that the scoreline would be so comfortable.
Hackney, despite Boro’s troubles earlier in the season, has shown incredible maturity in the middle of the park and plays with a seniority that is way beyond his tender years. In fact, he is so trusted by Michael Carrick, that he has played more minutes under the former Manchester United man than any other Boro player, missing only a couple of games in the whole of Carrick’s tenure.
As Boro have rotated Hackney’s partner on occasions, he has always been a mainstay, indicating the importance of his standing within the side. He will no doubt come back into the Boro fold, fresh from his international forays with even more confidence if that is possible given the comprehensive thrashing his club side gave Sunderland before the break.