Holding Hayden Hackney back could be a masterstroke for Everton

I’m on record as questioning whether, at the start of this summer’s transfer window, Everton were right in prioritising a move for Hayden Hackney.

It is not that Hackney is a bad player — in fact, far from it, and we’ll get to just how good he is later in this piece. However, I harboured doubts over whether he was the defensive midfield profile Everton really required to go straight into their team. The fact that the Toffees were then found so short and left wanting late in the window, suggests to me that the leadership group’s allocation of funds earlier in the summer could have been smarter.

But, that’s not to say Hackney does not bring something that Everton have previously been missing, and a quick reflection on his displays so far this term show just what he is bringing.

Hackney’s main plus points are his tenacity off the ball and his quality in possession.

He is not a natural number six, he is not going to sit in front of the defence and tidy everything up. Yet, if you need a player to come on and offer some disruption in midfield and on-ball progression, then he is your man. And he is proving that.

Hackney grew into the game in the season opener against Crystal Palace, but the vulnerabilities of a Hackney-Harrison Armstrong pairing were definitely on show.

Not that it’s an issue limited to just that pair — Everton’s midfield as a whole is far too open, and a James Garner still working his way back to fitness and sharpness is not helpful.

Hackney was not risked against Preston North End, due to an ankle issue, but he was back in the fold from the bench against Bournemouth. He made a crucial block to deny the Cherries a second, and it was his (albeit overhit) corner that resulted in James Tarkowski hammering home a late equaliser.

But it was against Manchester United last Sunday that Hackney really showed just what impact he can have when it comes to turning a game.

Everything he did after his introduction around the hour mark was positive.

He tallied up 22 touches and played 15 passes, completing 13 of them (86.7%) — 8 of those were played into the final third, which matched the total managed by Jack Grealish.

Hackney ranked 2nd in the Championship last season for carry distance, fourth for carries attempted and second for progressive carries (a carry of at least 10 metres towards the opponent’s goal).

Hackney has tallied up 225.5 carry metres so far for Everton (ranking seventh in the squad), and he is fifth in the squad for progressive carry distance (152.3m). 

We saw this ability to carry the ball through midfield in the build-up to Everton’s first equaliser against Man Utd, when Hackney took the impetus, drove forward and attempted to play a pass into Thierno Barry’s feet.

The pass was a bit wayward, but too often, Everton attacks would break down in those circumstances. Hackney, though, followed his pass and was there to pick up the scraps and then feed it out to Tyrique George, who did the rest with aplomb. 

And Hackney, as any midfielder with a sniff for a goal should do, was also making a run into the box — had George’s shot been kept out, there was a decent chance the former Middlesbrough man would have been on hand for a tap-in.

But Hackney was also involved in Everton’s second goal. This time, he popped up on the left, providing a passing option for Grealish, who duly slid the 24-year-old in down the edge of the area.

Hackney advanced, squared up his marker and found Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Everton’s No.8 could not get a shot off, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles was there to do the rest.

It was an all-action cameo from Hackney, and a performance that has now seen many Evertonians call for him to start against Tottenham on Saturday.

Some say it should be Hackney to come in instead of Garner, but I feel that for now, holding Hackney back is the way to go.

That’s not to say he should not be brought on — in my book, he is the first substitute in midfield. But having him come on against fatiguing players in the centre of the park is an ideal way for Hackney to really show what he can do.

He has plenty of energy and wants to propel Everton forward via progressive runs and crisp, forward passes. For that to be really effective at the highest level, then the space needs to be there.

Garner may not be at his best, but he is still absolutely integral, and Harrison Armstrong is well worth his starting berth, too. Dewsbury-Hall has not started the season brilliantly, but he brings the goalscoring touch; the moments of magic.

Not every player has to be rushed in and having quality in reserve to come on is exactly what Everton have lacked for so long.

Hackney is already becoming a key player in midfield, but having “starters” and “finishers” is what Everton should be striving for. 

Right now, assuming all the midfielders are available, Hackney falls into the latter camp, and for all the fair criticism of Everton’s squad-building this summer, he is a heck of an option to have at David Moyes’ disposal.

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