Hayden Hackney

Hayden Rhys Hackney (born 26 June 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Everton. Hackney was born in Redcar. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School. Hackney represented England at under-15 level. He is also eligible to represent Scotland because his mother was born in Edinburgh. He debuted for the Scotland under-21 team in November 2022. In September 2023, Hackney was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time. On 11 September 2023, he made his England U21 debut during a 3–0 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Luxembourg. In March 2025 Hackney scored his only goal at international youth level in a 4–2 victory against Portugal at The Hawthorns. Hackney was included in the England squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. During the semi-final he provided the assist for the winning goal by Harvey Elliott against Netherlands. Hackney was an unused substitute in the final as England defeated Germany to win the tournament.