Sport

Morgan Rogers would have been perfect for Man City’s rebuild

Morgan Rogers once called the Etihad Stadium home, not that anyone at Manchester City remembers much of his contribution there. That’s because Rogers failed to make a single senior appearance in four years on City’s books. At Aston Villa, though, the attacking midfielder has become a key performer.

Signed from Middlesbrough for a reported fee of £15m in January 2024, Rogers has enjoyed a breakout season at Premier League level. The 22-year-old has registered 14 goals and 10 assists in all competitions and has become a difference-maker for Unai Emery’s team as one of the best English players of his generation.

City could use a player like Rogers as they prepare to rebuild their squad for next season. The 2024/25 campaign has been a disappointment for Guardiola’s team as they faltered badly in their defence of the Premier League title they won last season. It’s been clear for a number of months that City have reached the end of a generational cycle.

Kevin De Bruyne’s exit at the end of the season will leave a gaping hole in Manchester City’s midfield and this is where Rogers could have had a big role to play. The Etihad Stadium outfit were too hasty in letting the attacking midfielder leave when he might have been a significant part of their future.

Of course, Rogers is a very different sort of attacking midfielder to De Bruyne. The 22-year-old is Aston Villa’s most reliable dribbler, averaging 1.9 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. De Bruyne, on the other hand, prefers to create using his passing even if he takes up similar positions to Rogers.

Nonetheless, Rogers would give Manchester City a different dimension in the final third were he still at the Etihad Stadium. The same could be said of other youth products who have left City in recent years – see Cole Palmer, Michael Olise and Liam Delap among others who have shone after departing the club.

Guardiola is doing more to bring through young players this season. Nico O’Reilly has caught the eye in recent matches while James McAtee and Oscar Bobb have also received game time over the course of the campaign. Rogers, however, is performing at another level. He is the player Emery has built his Aston Villa attack around.

City will host Villa in a crucial fixture on Tuesday night with both teams competing for a place in the top five and a spot in next season’s Champions League. There’s just one point between them in the Premier League table, meaning Tuesday’s result will have a big bearing on the outcome of the whole campaign.

“They are a contender to qualify for the Champions League,” said Guardiola when asked about Aston Villa and the danger they will pose Manchester City in Tuesday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium. “You see the game they played against my friend Luis Enrique [PSG boss] – wow, I was really, really impressed.

“They can play low block and play away, but when they decide to go, with the weapons they have, the speed they have, the set-pieces, they are incredibly well organised. It is a final and we need our people because I think our people want the Champions League next season again and hopefully they can help us from the first minute.”

Villa’s demolition of Newcastle on Saturday just three days after pushing Paris Saint-Germain all the way in the Champions League highlighted the progress they have made under Emery. Rogers is the sort of player who could take Aston Villa to an even higher level. City have something to regret in that.