When interim manager Lee Carsley announces his next England squad on Thursday, there will be plenty of Aston Villa supporters looking out for the name of Morgan Rogers on the list.
In what has been a fine start to the season for Villa – Unai Emery’s side have taken 13 points from their first six Premier League matches – Rogers’ performances have been a major positive.
Playing in a central position behind the main forward, Rogers’ understanding with striker Ollie Watkins is developing week by week.
Rogers set up Watkins for Villa’s equaliser against Wolves on 21 September and also provided a tap-in for Jhon Duran to wrap up a 3-1 win.
Against Ipswich, Rogers calmly collected from Jacob Greaves’ poor clearance, swapped passes with Watkins and fired into the bottom corner to score his first Premier League goal of the season.
However, for those unsure or unaware of Rogers’ ability at the top level, it was his display in Villa’s 2-0 defeat by Arsenal on 24 August which perhaps did most to bring his talents to wider attention.
Carsley chose not to include Rogers in his squad for September’s Nations League games against Republic of Ireland and Finland.
Instead he was selected for the Under-21 side, a decision which “surprised” Villa boss Unai Emery, who said Rogers was “not a player for the second team”.
Read more on Rogers rise from Championship football to Champions League here
