After his arrival in January, Morgan Rogers has wasted little time in adapting and embedding himself in Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, and has done so in impressive fashion as he continues to play a key role.
The 21-year-old has made 11 appearances for the club thus far, scoring one goal and providing an assist to go with his important role in our tactical set-up and work ethic off the ball.
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Further, Rogers has shown versatility having been deployed in different roles in the final third, as he excelled in a more central position in our win over Arsenal this past weekend.
The talented youngster has not only shown technical ability, a goal threat and the willingness to work hard for the team, but his understanding and application of the principles and tactical ideas that Emery has demanded from him have ensured he’s grown into being a key piece in the side in a short space of time.
Given our protracted pursuit of Rogers over the January transfer window, it was clear that he was a priority target for Emery, with the Villa boss and his scouting staff evidently seeing something in the former Middlesbrough ace that made them believe that he would be an ideal fit in our plans.
Few would have expected the speed with which Rogers has established himself as an important starter though, and he has helped fill the void left by injuries in that area of the squad.
Particularly with no Jacob Ramsey available, but also given Emiliano Buendia’s absence since the start of the season, Rogers was a necessary addition in January, and he had shown real potential and quality while on Teesside to warrant our interest.
However, with his awareness and intelligence to find pockets of space between the lines, to understand his positioning on the pitch – be it out wide or through the middle – to be able to provide a threat in transition and hurt teams either with his directness or link-up play, he has emerged as a vital option for Emery in the past few weeks.
He’s now made five consecutive Premier League starts, which in turn shows that Emery’s trust in him is building, and as seen in the replies to the tweet below, his impact and contribution is certainly being acknowledged and appreciated by the Villa supporters who have been left impressed with what he’s added to the team.
There is of course an ongoing challenge for him to continue to develop and improve, and with that comes the responsibility and pressure of being more decisive in the final third on a consistent basis, but the signs so far have been very promising, and Rogers will hopefully continue to go from strength to strength under Emery’s guidance.
How good is @Morgz_10? 🤩 pic.twitter.com/6YClizoSRh
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 15, 2024
