“Just play well... they will love you”: Yakubu’s advice as Hayden Hackney signs five-year Everton deal

Yakubu Ayegbeni has backed Hayden Hackney to be a success after completing his transfer to Everton from Middlesbrough. 02/07/2026 Yakubu Ayegbeni has backed Hayden Hackney to be a success after completing his transfer to Everton. Hackney has penned a five-year deal with the Blues and becomes Everton's first summer signing, arriving from Championship side Middlesbrough for a £16.5m fee. The 24-year-old scored five goals and added seven assists last season, earning the second-tier's Player of the Season award as 'Boro narrowly missed out on promotion. Yakubu, who moved from Middlesbrough to Everton in 2007, is confident Hackney has what it takes to thrive in the Premier League. "I think he can do well. I think he can do very well. The way he plays, the style, the way he does things on the pitch. Moyesie loves that kind of player, he’ll fit into the team," Yakubu told ToffeeWeb in our upcoming Once a Blue episode. "We need to build a team and not every year be struggling for relegation. We’re lucky to have Moyesie, and if we can get three, four, or five players in, next year we’ll be talking about playing in Europe." Having made the same move from the Riverside during his own career, we asked Yak what kind of advice he would give Everton's latest recruit. "Just play well. When you play well, the fans will love you. That’s the only thing, just play well. As a new player, you have to start well," he said. "Your first game in training, everyone is looking at you when you’re a new player coming to a new club. As players, we all speak around. Touches that go (bad), we all go ‘oh, you didn’t pay that kind of money!?’. We make jokes, you know? "I think he will be fine. He’s been playing in England, he understands the way we play football in England. He’s got great supporters who can give him support. Like I said, just play good, work hard, and they will love you. The supporters love any player who can do that." Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () How to get rid of these ads and support TW © ToffeeWeb

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