England Under-21 boss Lee Carlsey says he has high hopes for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney after the Redcar star impressed again on the international stage.
Having initially represented Scotland under-21s, Hackney switched allegiance in September and this month has enjoyed his third camp with the Young Lions squad. He played his fifth game for them on Tuesday evening at Goodison Park and was influential as they beat Northern Ireland 3-0 in a European Championship Qualifier.
With Hackney impressing consistently over the past 12 months for Boro in the Championship, there have been reports north of the border that Scotland plan to tempt him into committing to them on the international stage by handing him a senior call up. But with Carsley saying his brief as England Under-21 boss is to develop players for Gareth Southgate's side, he admitted Hackney was a player they had high hopes for.
READ MORE: Hayden Hackney highlights as he plays influential role in England U21s win over Northern Ireland
The England U21 boss said: "We really like Hayden. I think he showed a bit of versatility tonight, playing a little bit higher than we generally have him playing. We tend to have him a little bit lower.
"But I've seen him play the kind of role we wanted for Middlesbrough so to see him transfer that form into what we do has been good to see. He's a player with a lot of talent and we have got big hopes for him."
With no more international breaks until March, Carsley continued on his hopes for his players between now and then: "It's important that the players keep playing week in and week out at their clubs, or at least put themselves in the best possible position to do that. Two players to mind would get into this squad if they were fit and were playing for their clubs.
"So we potentially might see an evolution within the squad. What's important to remember is that my goal isn't really to build a team, it's about creating players for the senior team. We want to have a good team and do well, of course we do. But we have to make sure we're producing players for the senior team."
