HAYDEN HACKNEY has drawn a line under the disappointment of last season and is determined to make up for lost time with Middlesbrough next term.

Having already suffered a groin injury earlier in the season, Hackney damaged his knee in February’s defeat at Preston and had to sit out the final two-and-a-half months of the campaign.

He was forced to watch his team-mates narrowly miss out on a place in the play-offs, and admits he grew increasingly frustrated as it became clear he was not going to be able to recover before the end of the season.

He is back to full fitness now though, and as he prepares for Saturday’s Championship season opener against Swansea City, he is desperate to get straight back into things at the start of the new campaign.

“It was tough last season with a few injuries that stopped me from playing,” said Hackney, who turned 22 over the summer. “So, it’s really good to be back out there. Playing at the Riverside (against Heerenveen) just builds the excitement for Saturday even more.

“It was hard because I’ve never really had injuries like that to keep me out for a while, so it was tough sitting and watching the boys and not being able to help them. It was a frustrating time, but it’s behind me now and I just can’t wait to get back out there and get going again.”

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Whereas Hackney was still something of a fresh face last summer, having broken into the first-team ranks in the previous season, he heads into the new campaign as one of the most highly-rated players in the Football League.

The Redcar-born midfielder has been linked with a host of top-flight clubs in the last 12 months, most notably Liverpool and Tottenham, but insists he does not let the speculation over his future affect him.

“For me, I just be me and don’t let that kind of thing bother me,” he said. “I just go into every game trying to play the best I possibly can and doing everything I possibly can do to help the team. I’ll always give it my all.”

Hackney played the opening 77 minutes of Saturday’s win over Heerenveen and feels the challenge of taking on Dutch top-flight opposition was the ideal preparation for Saturday’s Riverside showdown with Swansea.

“The boys are very positive about going into the new season,” he said. “We’re very excited to get going on Saturday. It was a good test (at the weekend) because I think Heerenveen play a very similar style to what we’re going to face on Saturday, so it was a good test against a good team.

“In the end, I think we defended well and found the bit of quality in the final third where we probably could have scored more. I can’t wait now for the start of the season.”