Morgan Rogers is the pin-up boy of Aston Villa boss Unai Emery’s recruitment.
The former West Bromwich Albion academy graduate was turned from a starboy at Middlesbrough into a man with a guiding hand and free rein to cause terror in the claret and blue.
Plucked out of Teesside following an FA Cup tie for £7m, the powerful forward forced his way into the international reckoning as his running with the ball caused havoc.
Rogers Has Struggled to Maintain His Form
Rogers, who has only just turned 23, was always the one picked out by West Brom’s academy staff as the jewel in their crown. That’s why Manchester City paid £4m, rising considerably with add-ons, to take him to the Etihad Stadium.
It seemed as though his destiny was being fulfilled when Rogers arrived at Villa Park. But his latest performance against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium left a few questions as to whether Aston Villa are seeing the best of him. And it begs the question whether he needs a rest – starting with tonight’s Carabao Cup trip to Brentford.
Rogers, who is on a contract worth £75,000-per-week plus bonuses, appeared a pale imitation of the forward who set tongues wagging and forced then-England boss Gareth Southgate into lifting him from the Under-21s into the senior side.
Emery let his own feelings be known on that very subject following criticism of the player’s repeated selection for the juniors while the best defenders on the planet were cowering in his wake.
However, that early promise has evaporated as Rogers has become a victim of his own success. After returning to his own patch following spells in Manchester and the north-east, there was a period of acclimatisation.
His trademark runs soon became a feature of the side that propelled Villa into the Champions League. Buoyed by that success, Rogers’ star continued to rise – culminating in a hat-trick against Celtic on a balmy night at Villa Park late in January.
But, since then, it’s been a different story. The main goalscoring burden falls onto the shoulders of the club’s evergreen leading scorer Ollie Watkins.
Others have chipped in here and there, but it is the Devonian to whom Emery has mainly turned – although the manager’s preference for Marcus Rashford last season certainly upset his main striker.
And Villa’s lack of goals so far this term has highlighted Rogers’ own downturn. No goals for Villa, none for Rogers and, obviously, no assists either. The drop off is significant.
Up until the end of January, he had claimed 10 goals and eight assists in all competitions. From then until the end of last season – 29 appearances overall – it had dropped to four goals and an encouraging eight assists.
It may be that goal involvement statistic that keeps Emery keen. One little more than every two games played shows a healthy contribution, despite the blanks so far this season.
But what’s not taken into account is the sheer volume of games Rogers has played.
The campaign with Middlesbrough during 2023-24 – the one which he ended up at Villa – saw him play 49 times. There wasn’t any room to bed in. Rogers was chucked in at the deep end and came up to the surface able to compete in the medley.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Morgan Rogers only completed 14 passes and was limited to just one shot on target during Aston Villa’s draw with Everton last weekend
With the excitement of Villa’s inaugural Champions League campaign to fall back upon, that carried the forward through and to the heights of his treble against Brendan Rogers’ side.
But, since then, there has been a drop-off – culminating in a poor display at the Hill Dickinson Stadium where the game passed him by.
It’s little wonder, really. In what was only Rogers’ second full season in the game, he played a staggering 61 times for club and country. That’s 110 appearances across two seasons for a player who had not featured regularly for any senior professional side.
And while Emery was keen to rotate several other forward players – Watkins is the obvious example – Rogers pretty much kept his place throughout.
Guessand Boasts Similar Attributes to Rogers
With matches beginning to pile up, it has to be a consideration for Emery to lighten the 23-year-old Rogers’ workload. Villa have paid a considerable sum for Evann Guessand from Nice and the Ivorian has yet to get up to speed with the demands of the Premier League.
All the clips of his best work on YouTube suggest here is a player who can replicate large chunks of Rogers’ best work. Guessand likes to run with the ball, using his power to take his side up the pitch – exactly the attributes Rogers displays.
Blooding the summer signing against Brentford would give the Ivory Coast international a free hit at getting up to speed and give Emery the chance to see his signing in his natural environment.
But then, Emery might stick to his guns, Rogers could score tonight and Villa win and get their season up and running.
However, there are plenty of challenges to come and giving the England international a breather could work wonders somewhere down the line.