But what Carsley admits he’s still unsure of is what type of midfielder Hackney will go on to become.
The boss of the Young Lions sees a creative attacking spark in the 22-year-old but is also drawn to his passing range and thinks he can dictate and control games from a deeper role.
Hackney turns 23 next week having already made more than 100 appearances for Boro and establishing himself as a key figure in Carsley’s Under-21s squad.
Having come off the bench in the second half of England’s victory over the Czech Republic in their opening game at the European Championships, Hackney was brought into the starting XI for the 0-0 draw with Slovenia and will be hoping he keeps his place in the side for tonight’s crunch match against Germany.
If it’s experience Carsley is looking for, he knows Hackney ticks the boxes.
“I was looking at the amount of appearances he’s made, he’s made a lot of appearances during our campaign and, balancing that with trying to compete in the Championship week in week out as well, he has done well to keep it going,” said England’s boss.
“He’s definitely evolved as a player. I’m not sure where he’s going to be an absolute expert in terms of his forward passing and being creative or maybe a little bit deeper and being creative from that position.”
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Another string to Hackney’s bow is the fact he’s captained his hometown club, who are braced for strong transfer interest in the midfielder this summer. Porto tried and failed to sign Hackney in January and several Premier League clubs are said to be keen on the midfielder.
Carsley said: “I still think physically as well he can improve on that side of the game. But from a leadership point of view, the fact that he’s captain – there’s two or three as well that have captain teams in this group – it’s a great sign.
“Especially at a big club like Middlesbrough where you have that responsibility to lead. He’s a massive part of the team.
“He’s a quietish guy, very unassuming. He’s highly thought of at Middlesbrough and he’s a player that we enjoy having with us.”
Being a quiet leader is common in an Under-21s dressing room, says Carsley.
“A lot of the group’s now very quiet. If you come and watch a small-sided game, it’s a little bit louder, but not like a senior team,” he said.
“We have to give these players a chance to become experienced and become vocal. We try and encourage them to drive it as much as we can. We try and give them a platform and give them a chance to grow.
“If we’re always on top of them, instructing them and giving them information, it dilutes what they’re doing. So we need more leaders. We 100% do. I think every team does.
“Thinking back to when I was playing, you always seem to have what we haven’t got, we haven’t got an older pro in the team who’s sort of his legs have gone but can talk you through the game. They’re all the same age and they’re all at that level.
“But we’re lucky that they all play at clubs where they have got senior players that are showing them good examples and good leadership and hopefully they can take that and bring it here.”
