It has been, Morgan Rogers says, a long, hard road to this point.
Including the highs of signing for Manchester City aged 17, the lows of tough loans in League One and the Championship, before another steep climb since joining Aston Villa last year for £8m, starring in the Champions League, and sharing video calls with Thomas Tuchel before Rogers’s first call-up under the new England manager.
The 22-year-old will be given a chance to earn a place in Tuchel’s highly competitive midfield.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle to get here,” he admits. He explains how he did it, and a remarkable last 12 months…
Perfectionist Emery
It is when you least expect it that Unai Emery takes you to one side to have a stern word about something tiny that annoyed the Villa manager. “I can think of the best games I’ve had, and he’ll come up to me and batter me for one little thing I did in the 20th minute,” Rogers says, laughing.
Emery is, according to Rogers, a relentlessly demanding perfectionist. No matter who the player is, or how high they reach, there are always new goals, new levels he wants you to aim for.
And Rogers wouldn’t change it for anything. Not that he always sees it like that as he stands fuming in the changing room after starring in a win.
But the approach is turning him into the best footballer he has been, and he credits Emery’s style of tough man-management for giving his game a consistency it previously lacked.
“It’s what you need sometimes,” he adds, “when you’ve had a few good games, sometimes you might not be as at it, that one per cent. He will make sure that one per cent is nipped in the bud straightaway.”
Frightening Rash
Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United demise and surprise loan to Aston Villa, where he is attempting to revitalise his career, has been a major talking point this season.
But while Rogers has been inhaling everything his new teammate does, there’s another aspect to Rashford, whose performances also earned him an England recall, being on a pitch that is helping Rogers’s game.
“When he got into games, no one is worrying about me,” Rogers says, “because everyone is scared of everything he can do.
“He has a lot direct one vs one, wants to take people on and the pace in behind — it is a problem.”
Rashford has, Rogers says, already had a massive impact at Villa.
“He has set the fans alight and got the crowd going and he gives you that real energy, that real buzz. That’s the kind of player he is and when he is showing all his capabilities and you know he is on it, that’s a real problem.
“Everyone knows the level of Marcus and what he can get to and it is just about finding his form and his confidence again and he is starting to get that, I can see it straight away, when he is training, when he is playing, the confidence he has got, the things he is trying and he is a joy to play with and work with.”
Jude hear what he said?
Rogers has known Jude Bellingham for a long while. They were teammates in England Under 15 camps (Bellingham playing a year up), and midfield adversaries in youth games when Rogers was at West Bromwich Albion and Bellingham was at Birmingham City, a friendly rivalry that progressed into the Championship, two teenagers excelling in the brutal world of second-tier senior football.
Rogers’s first memory of playing against Bellingham was during a floodlit Under 15 tournament, when West Brom drew Birmingham in their group.
“I remember that one vividly, I always bring it up to him. He’s never beaten me!”
Bellingham has since become renowned for his choice language on the pitch and a propensity to needle opponents.
“He’s always had a mouth on him,” Rogers confirms.
After teaming up with England, there is a chance they can face off as opponents again in the Champions League semi-finals, where Villa will meet Real Madrid provided the two teams win their quarter-finals.
“That would be good,” Rogers says, taking a moment to savour the prospect. “I don’t think he’d enjoy going to Villa Park much. He’s played everywhere but he’s never played at Villa Park!”
A bit of aura-ight
Tuchel first reached out to Rogers long before he named his England squad. He sent him a text to set up a video call and Rogers made sure he had plenty of phone signal, a plain background and everyone was out the house.
“I got my suit and tie on!” Rogers says, although he is possibly joking.
In the informal 15-minute chat, they talked football and go to know one another. Tuchel told Rogers he liked him – although Rogers suspects he says that to all the players – and offered areas of his game to improve.
Of course it's Morgan Rogers for @AVFCOfficial
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 9, 2025
The @England star has deserved that goal#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/BJqOu9BE26
They kept in touch, and Rogers was even more impressed after meeting him IRL.
“His aura and demeanour is hard to describe but he has that level of confidence, that level of respect already. You can see the way he is, the way he acts.
“He has been so chilled and calm. But when it is time to work, it is time to work. That is the kind of vibe I have got off him.
“The presence is a bit different. Certain managers have different ways about them. But his aura is one I’ve not experienced before.”
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/LzG4Vjl
Post a Comment
EmoticonClick to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.