Unai Emery has just been given a clear Morgan Rogers plan, his latest stats speak volumes
Unai Emery should know exactly what to do with Morgan Rogers for the rest of this season after he shone for England against Wales.
Morgan Rogers only joined Aston Villa from Middlesbrough for an initial £8million [BBC] in February last year, but his rise to stardom since then has been a notable one, and he is now a fully-fledged England international.
The 23-year-old winger established himself as one of Unai Emery’s key players last term, and interest in his signature was rife this summer after Football Insider revealed in May that Villa would do everything they could to keep hold of Rogers amid interest from Chelsea.
He remained at Villa Park past the end of the summer deadline despite further interest from Chelsea and Tottenham, but started the new campaign in surprisingly poor form without a goal or an assist in his first seven games.
Rogers notched assists in consecutive games for the Villans after being shifted out wide by Emery before the international break, but a new development while he has been away with England should tell the Basque boss what his true favoured position is.
Morgan Rogers grabs first goal of the season as an attacking midfielder for England
Rogers proved ineffective on the left-wing in the first two games of the 2025-26 campaign, and he continued his poor form in a central attacking midfield position for the next four outings with no goal contributions to his name.
Emery moved him back out wide to accomodate Emi Buendia against Fulham, Feyenoord and Burnley, and that shift worked a charm as Rogers notched assists in consecutive games and the Argentine playmaker scored twice.
The 23-year-old joined up with the England squad this week despite his early-season struggles, and he was handed a fourth start for his country by Thomas Tuchel in attacking midfield as Wales travelled to Wembley for a friendly on Thursday (9 October).
Rogers was key to England’s first-half domination against their home-nation rivals, and he netted his first goal of the season and maiden strike for his country in the third minute as he swept home Marc Guehi’s instinctive pass.
He linked up well with club teammate Ollie Watkins as they looked as natural as ever at number 10 and centre-forward respectively, and eventually ended his night in the 70th minute with two chances created, three shots, one woodwork hit, six touches in Wales’ box, 100% dribble rate and one foul won [Fotmob].
It’s not hyperbole to suggest his stats could have been even more impressive given his strength and speed running away from defenders.
Tuchel commented after the game that Rogers “is a number 10,” and his performance surely sent a message to Villa boss Emery that he is best-suited to playing through the middle rather than out wide.
The 23-year-old may have had more joy off the left for Villa in recent weeks, but he shone as a central creative force against Wales, and likely wants to play there on a consistent basis going forward into the rest of this campaign.
Rogers could sign a new Villa contract despite transfer interest and lack of form
Rogers issued a cryptic message to his Aston Villa critics after their loss to Brentford last month, while he also admitted his start to the season had been “difficult” and he had been “found out” after being such a surprise package in 2024-25.
Rogers is believed to be unsettled at Aston Villa at the minute amid continued interest from Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and another unnamed top six club, but his recent resurgence could see him commit his long-term future to the Second City outfit.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 80 | 17 | 19 |
Football Insider recently revealed that Rogers has opened talks over a new contract at Aston Villa, as they are keen to tie him down and reward the quick progress he has made over the last 18 months, but it remains to be seen whether he pens fresh terms.
His recent return to contributing for Villa and to the scoresheet for England shows that he has obviously not lost the magic that saw him win PFA Young Player of the Year last season, and it is imperative that Villa get him signed up quickly before more interest in his services potentially arises in January.