MORGAN ROGERS isn’t just knocking on England’s door – the Aston Villa midfielder is in danger of smashing it to bits following his five-star performance against Arsenal at the weekend.
Now it remains to be seen if Lee Carsely, who was at Villa Park on Saturday, decides to promote Rogers to the full England squad when he announces it on Thursday.
He certainly knows what he is capable of after the 22-year-old scored a double in Carsley’s last match in charge of England’s Under-21’s – a 7-0 drubbing of Luxembourg in March.
If Rogers does earn a first senior call-up, he will team up with his great pal and former Manchester City team-mate Cole Palmer.
And that could spark a Three Lions celebration spat between the pair, who both share identical ways of marking their goals.
However, Rogers insists Palmer nicked his distinctive move from him.
Chelsea fans have grown accustomed to Palmer rubbing his shoulders and then shivering whenever he celebrates a goal.
But Rogers claimed copyright on the distinctive cele and said: “He definitely copied me. It’s my celebration. Check the timeline, I did it first.”
The pair became best buddies after playing in Man City’s youth ranks together.
Rogers explained: “He’s one of my closest friends in life. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
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Now, he is pushing to team up with Palmer again for England.
Unai Emery broke the habit of a lifetime when he signed Rogers from Middlesbrough for a bargain £8million last January.
Here is a list of every signing Unai Emery has made since arriving at Aston Villa...
After spending more than €1billion on 164 players during his illustrious 20-year career as a boss, Rogers became the first Englishman Emery had ever signed.
It’s safe to assume the Spaniard has no regrets about shopping locally.
Emery could earn Aston Villa 10 times their investment in the unlikely event of him deciding to sell the midfielder now.
Rogers totally dominated England’s first-choice midfielder Declan Rice at the weekend with a performance packed with power, pace, positivity and panache.
Rogers certainly managed to take the pee out of Rice during one driving first-half run which saw him turn the England man inside out on three occasions before bursting into the Gunners’ box.
England haven’t produced such a direct, front-foot attacking midfielder since Paul Gascoigne was in his pomp.
Villa fans used to compare Jack Grealish with Gascoigne at the height of his powers at Villa Park.
But the comparison always felt weak.
Grealish goes to ground at the slightest contact, unlike Gascoigne who used to sharpen his elbows and stick them out as he busrt barrell-chested through opposition defences and was impossible to halt.
On Saturday against Arsenal, Rogers was unplayable at times as he surged through Arsenal’s midfield with Gazza-like power.
One memorable example came during the second half when he effortlessly brushed off Thomas Partey before rag-dolling Rice, leaving two of the most physical midfielders in the Premier League floundering in his wake.
“It was like watching Jonah Lomu in his prime,” said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.
“He was just unplayable. He was absolutely magnificent. At 22 years of age, he was just brushing people away.
“Not many players of his size possess that amount of skill, pace and power. It’s so difficult to stop.
“He gave Thomas Partey nightmares. He turned Declan Rice inside out about three times.
“It seems to suit him in a central position. Thomas Partey is a very strong guy, but he just brushed him aside time after time.
“Lee Carsley has to be looking at him, surely.”
At 6ft3″ Rogers is a formidable figure, tall, powerful and athletic but he can also play.
He showed a sublime touch to set up Ollie Watkins‘ first-half sitter with a deft flick with the outside of his left boot.
He is also supple enough to wriggle out of tight pockets of space under pressure and when he gets going he is so hard to dispossess.
Powerhouses Rice and Partey provided the ultimate test of Rogers’ ability to carry the ball forward – he didn’t just compete with them, he totally dominated them – recording 26 carries with the ball, five of which were in the final third.
Some people will argue it is too early for Carsley to turn to Rogers, who has only 13 Premier League appearances under his belt.
But with Jude Bellingham sidelined for the next month through injury, there is a gaping hole in England’s midfield which Rogers could fill.
Redknapp certainly believes so and said: “Jude Bellingham is obviously our stand out number 10, but there are parts of what Bellingham does that we admire in what he Rogers was doing against Arsenal.
“He stood out. Alongside Odegaard, Rice, Partey, he was the outstanding midfield player. Not just a little bit, but by a long way.
“If you were an Aston Villa watching the game or in the pub, they’ll all be talking about him.”
Former Villa and England midfielder Lee Hendrie added: “He can glide, and he has an exciting balance about him when he gets on the ball. That’s what I really like about him.
“He looks fit and strong and he has caused top players problems there.”
Rogers may not have managed a goal against Arsenal but he had scored in his last three Premier League games at Villa Park last season against Brentford, Bournemouth and Chelsea, so he can finish.
His potential is frightening and he is a willing learner who will benefit from working under a genius like Emery.
Speaking after Villa’s defeat to Arsenal, Rogers told VillaTV: “I want to play in these big games against the best players.
“Overall, I’m generally happy. I felt good out there, I felt fit, strong and I’m just going to try and keep building on this.
“I’ll try to get better and better as the season goes on, but it’s a good start.”
Mikel Arteta was asked about how difficult Rogers and Amadou Onana had made life for Partey and Rice on Saturday.
“Yes, every time they play at the moment they have and make the space,” the Gunners boss replied.
“As soon as you lose the ball and you are counter-pressing, they break that press. They have a lot of legs, they are really powerful to carry the ball between the centre-backs and full-backs.”
Rogers is a dedicated young pro, determined to make the very most of his abilities.
During the summer he hired pitches while on holiday in the USA and trained for 90 minutes in 40-degree heat every day in Miami and Las Vegas before heading for the gym for a further hour’s work.
He has also hired a personal chef to help with his diet and nutritional intake
As a youngster Rogers was an all-rounder for Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
He is a natural sportsman who plays several racquet sports, including padel, tennis and squash and watches basketball.
On Saturday Emery was asked what Rogers’ ceiling is.
He replied: “He is playing really fantastic. His development is progressively better.
“He has confidence and he is adding to us in a lot of tactical ways, in how we can connect with him, inside, outside.
“The next step is getting in the box but he is playing with confidence and developing a lot. He is hungry to increase his level, working every day.
“It is very good the impact he is adding to us.”
When he was asked if watching England boss Lee Carsley would have been impressed by Rogers, Emery’s answer was that of a man who knows he will need a fully-fit Rogers for Villa’s minimum eight Champions League games this season.
“He is for us,” he replied. “I am impressed with him and I want him!”
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