Instead, having rejected the chance to make a £20m move to Portman Road, the midfielder was one of the stars of the show as Boro beat Millwall 3-0 to make it two wins from two at the start of the new Championship season.
When he shunned Ipswich’s advances, Redcar-born Hackney insisted he was willing to give his all for the club that has nurtured and developed him since he was a schoolboy.
In the three weeks since, he has certainly been as good as his word. A key figure in Boro’s opening-day win over Swansea, Hackney was even more integral to yesterday’s win at Millwall, with his 49th-minute conversion of Morgan Whittaker’s cross breaking the deadlock and paving the way for the Teessiders’ victory.
With a fortnight of the transfer window still to go, there remains a degree of uncertainty over where Hackney will be playing his football from September onwards.
Crystal Palace and Everton continue to be touted as possible destinations, while Porto could opt to rekindle the interest that was shelved in January.
For now, though, Rob Edwards is simply happy to have arguably the best midfielder in the Championship in his ranks. And if he can still call on his services come the start of next month, he will be even more delighted.
“You can see it out there, he loves the club,” said the Boro boss. “He’s been extremely professional throughout and he loves the club. I couldn’t be happier with him.
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“The way I see things right now, he’s here with us and that’s all there is to it right now. He loves the place, and I think his performance showed that.
“It’s been hard for him over these last couple of weeks. I’ll always check in with him, but players will quite often just give you the ‘I’m alright Rob’, because they don’t want to tell me the truth.
“So, I’m constantly checking in with him because he’s had a lot going on. I think what I, and everyone, has to do is judge him on performances. His worth ethic and desire were all there for everyone to see today.
“I’ve said it before, it’s win-win either way. But I’m not really thinking about it right now. I see him as being here and a big part of this group. It’s win-win either way. His performance today was excellent and he got the goal. I think he loves this club.”
Hackney’s goal at the Den was his first since he scored in the 3-2 home defeat to Sunderland in February, with Edwards seemingly keen to play him in a more advanced attacking-midfield role than the one he was inhabiting under Michael Carrick.
“I thought Hayden was excellent,” he continued. “Loads of energy, loads of quality and a real desire and passion. He won a lot of duels and his running was really good.
“That’s the best he’s looked for us since coming back from his success over the summer with the national team [when he helped England win the European Under-21s Championships]. He’s a winner and he’s proven that, being part of a really successful team.”
