WHEN is an international debut not necessarily an international debut? Perhaps, when it occurs at Under-21 level and could be usurped by a senior cap for a different country at some stage in the future.

Last November, Hayden Hackney proudly pulled on the all-blue shirt of Scotland to make his Under-21 debut in a 2-1 defeat to Iceland at Motherwell’s Fir Park.

Despite being born and raised in Redcar, the 20-year-old Middlesbrough midfielder qualifies to play for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born mother and is set to receive another call-up to the Scottish Under-21 squad later this month. He is also qualified to represent England though, and previously spent time within the England youth system as a 15-year-old.

Appearing for one country at Under-21 level does not prevent a player from switching to a different nation before they have made a competitive appearance at senior level, and under the guidance of senior manager Gareth Southgate, English FA officials are understood to be closely monitoring Hackney’s progress as he continues to establish himself in the Championship.

If he maintains his current rate of progress, and potentially finds himself in the Premier League with Middlesbrough next season, an international tug-of-war could well be in the offing, with Carrick more than happy to act as an advisor if Hackney finds himself having to make a definitive choice.

“Of course, I’ll be here to help him and to guide him,” said Carrick, who won 34 England caps during his own playing career. “It’s a very individual thing when it comes to who you want to play for, who you see yourself playing for, and where you see yourself with the ties with your family.

“That is a very individual thing, but of course I’m here to speak to Hayden, or indeed any of the other boys, when they need it or think it might help them.”

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For now, Carrick feels Hackney will benefit from continuing to represent Scotland at Under-21 level if he is retained within Scott Gemmill’s squad.

His debut did not exactly go to plan, with the North-Easterner conceding the decisive penalty in Scotland’s 2-1 defeat, but that should not prevent him from being selected for this month’s friendly games against Sweden and Wales.

Carrick made 14 appearances for England Under-21s between 2000-03, and regards the experience as an important stage of his footballing evolution.

“It (playing at Under-21 level) can be important for a player’s development,” he said. “Of course, it can be important – I think any experience you can get as a young player is a good experience in terms of encountering different styles of football and taking on different challenges.

“I have to say that with Hayden, it’s been hugely impressive how he’s taken to every single challenge that he’s faced since I’ve been here. Off the back of his loan last season, he’s improving all the time.

“He keeps his feet on the ground, and I get the impression that he’s the type that, whenever he faces a challenge, he’ll enjoy it and relish it. He’s really calm in everything he does.”

This time last year, Hackney was struggling to hold down a place in a Scunthorpe United side that went end the campaign being relegated to the National League.

He made 31 appearances in all competitions for Scunthorpe, and might well have found himself being sent back out on loan this January had Chris Wilder remained in place as Boro boss.

In the wake of Wilder’s dismissal, Leo Percovich promoted Hackney to Boro’s starting line-up during his interim reign, and the midfielder has not looked back since.

He has started every single one of Boro’s matches under Carrick, with his central-midfield partnership with Jonny Howson proving a key factor in the club’s ongoing promotion push.

He is clearly benefitting from playing regular football at Championship level, although his manager feels the importance of last season’s struggles with Scunthorpe should not be overlooked.

“That’s the beauty of it sometimes,” he said, when referring to Hackney’s time at Glanford Park. “We’re all searching for the perfect loan, but sometimes it doesn’t work like that. A player might go somewhere, and maybe he doesn’t play every game or isn’t deemed to be playing the ‘right’ type of football, but I think sometimes an experience like that can really trigger something and kick you on to a different level.

“The same is probably true of AJ (Aaron Ramsey). He’s an Aston Villa player, but he went on loan to Cheltenham and seems to have taken a lot from that."