Hackney Misses Southampton Start as Middlesbrough Gain McGree
Hayden hackney will not be ready to start Middlesbrough’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg against Southampton on Saturday. The 23-year-old is still recovering from a calf injury and has only just returned to the grass after missing action since mid-March.
Hellberg’s Hackney update
Kim Hellberg said the midfielder is moving in the right direction, but not fast enough for a place in the starting XI. “Hayden is progressing, he's getting better every day,” he said, adding that Hackney’s first work on grass was “a big step forward.”
Hellberg also left open the chance of a bench role. “Then if it's possible to have him on the bench for Saturday, we'll see. Then if it's possible on Tuesday,” he said. That keeps a slim path open for the second leg at St Mary's if Middlesbrough need it.
McGree available at the Riverside
Riley McGree, by contrast, is ready to go for the first leg at the Riverside. Hellberg said, “Riley is ready to go. There's competition for him, but he's ready.” McGree had already played the second half of last Saturday’s draw at Wrexham after a three-week absence.
Hackney’s absence has stretched back to 14 March, when he injured his calf against Bristol City. He was on the pitch when Middlesbrough were leading that game, then went off before they conceded a last-gasp equaliser. Since then, Middlesbrough have not won any of their next five matches and finished fifth after slipping from second place.
Middlesbrough’s selection pressure
The timing leaves Middlesbrough with a choice in midfield and little room to waste form. Hackney was named Championship player of the season at last month’s EFL Awards, and Hellberg said, “Of course it's tough for him at the end of the season where it matters most, we lose the league's best player,” before adding that he has been “amazing in trying to support the team in any way he can.”
That means Middlesbrough go into Saturday at 12:30 BST with one major boost and one major absence. Hackney is back on the training ground, but McGree is the player available to start against Southampton.
