New head coach Michael Carrick is eyeing a reunion with Hayden Hackney, urging Old Trafford chiefs to outmanoeuvre Premier League rivals for the Championship’s breakout midfield star.
Manchester United's main priority this summer is to sign up to three new midfielders as the club continue to revitalise their squad under MIchael Carrick.
Last summer, the club splashed around £200 million on a new front line, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Šeško, and Bryan Mbeumo, all of whom reached at least 10 goals across the campaign.
This time around, with Casemiro departing and Manuel Ugarte linked with a move away from Old Trafford, United are keen on spending a similar amount on three new midfielders.
The club are already close to finalising an agreement for Atalanta midfielder Ederson, but other targets are already being hunted, too.
Carrick pushing for Middlesbrough's Hackney
The club have been linked with a long list of elite midfielders, including Aurélien Tchouaméni, Sandro Tonali, and Elliot Anderson, although the club's desire list is much more extensive than that.
With Carrick having been announced as the club's new head coach, the former midfielder has been strongly involved in recruitment meetings. According to The Northern Echo, one player he has been advocating for is Hayden Hackney.
The Middlesbrough midfielder has had an outstanding campaign, winning Championship Player of the Year, and has worked with Carrick previously at The Boro.
The report states that the 23-year-old is viewed by the club as more of a long-term investment, with many having touted Hackney as the 'next Adam Wharton'.
Wharton joined Crystal Palace as a Blackburn Rovers academy graduate in January 2024 and took the Premier League by storm, with some believing that Hackey can have a similar impact in England's top flight.
United confient they can win Hackney race
The Northern Echo also details that, while United look set to enter the transfer battle for Hackney, they are not the only side interested.
According to the report, with Hackney certain to leave the Championship this summer, both Crystal Palace and Tottenham are expected to make formal moves for the player in the coming weeks.
While Everton are also credited with interest in the young Englishman, United are said to be confident that, if they do choose to pursue a move for the player, they would beat out all competition.
The last player United signed from the Championship was Welsh winger Daniel James, who joined Old Trafford from Swansea in a £16 million deal back in 2019.
They fought of Leeds United for his signature, and James went on to make 74 appearances for the Reds, scoring nine goals and assisting another nine before joining Leeds for around £25 million in 2021.
