Morgan Rogers has burst on the scene at Aston Villa and is now becoming one of the most exciting talents in England. Signing for Villa from Middlesbrough for an initial £8 million, rising to £16 million with add-ons, Rogers had an excellent 24/25 season. His manager Unai Emery is always very demanding of him, wanting him to improve, as he knows how much potential Rogers has.
Labelling Emery has "one of the best managers in the world" Rogers believes he has the right support around him to develop into one of the best, but understands the need to stay grounded and keep learning under Emery. After only signing a new contract in November last year, Villa are rumoured to be wanting to tie Rogers down to another new deal to warn off interest from a host of clubs, including Chelsea and Arsenal.
Rogers' Style of Play
When Morgan Rogers gets on the ball, he makes things happen. His bustling powerful drives with the ball, quick feet and his chance creation was all on show last season. Playing the majority of the season as a shadow striker, just behind Ollie Watkins, Rogers is also capable of playing on both left and right wing, although the latter isn't his best position. On a number of occasions, Rogers dribbled through players and into spaces despite being doubled up against. His ability to keep the ball under opposition pressure was fantastic to watch.
Morgan Rogers - 2024/2025@morgz_10 pic.twitter.com/ArexbpsQpj
— Ous (@fukxumean) July 31, 2025
The second game of last season against Arsenal, was pivotal with people starting to take note of Rogers' talent, despite Villa losing 2-0. Arsenal's midfield were made to look like school boys, when Rogers drove through them shrugging off tackles and creating goalscoring opportunities that Villa weren't able to take. From then on he became a mainstay in Villa's starting XI, going on to win the Young Player of the Season at Villa's end of season awards.
Rogers's Career
A product of West Brom's academy, Rogers moved to Manchester City's academy at 16-years-old for £4 million. After a few loan spells and without making a senior appearance for City, Rogers joined Championship side Middlesbrough in July 2023 for only £1 million plus a 25% sell-on clause. He was only at Boro for half a season, scoring 7 goals in 33 games in all competitions, before signing for Aston Villa on deadline day in January 2024.
Rogers only started 7 games in the Premier League in the second half of the 23/24 season scoring 3 goals. At times he looked raw and it was clear he needed to develop and learn before becoming a regular starter for Villa and indeed he did. Last season was his breakthrough season, starting 37 games in the league scoring 8 goals and 10 assists. His fantastic form carried into the Champions League, scoring 4 goals in 12 appearances, including an incredible hat-trick against Celtic in a 4-2 win. It wasn't just his output that he improved on, but also his overall game, his work rate, decision making and chances created also drastically improved.
The 24-year-old now has 6 England caps to his name after being called up for the first time by the ex-interim manager, Lee Carsley in November last year. Rogers will want to continue to impress current England manager Thomas Tuchel, who is an admirer of his talent, with the 2026 World Cup squad in his sights.
Rogers will hope the upcoming season will be his best as Villa look to return to the Champions League. With the talent he has, there is no reason why he can't go to the very top.
