When England line up against Latvia on Tuesday, Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers will expect to be in the starting line-up.
Rogers has been on a hugely impressive upwards tear. After four years at Manchester City, for whom he signed from West Bromwich Albion, the 23-year-old took a while to make his mark.
Man City loaned out the Halesowen-born attacking midfielder to Lincoln City, AFC Bournemouth and Blackpool between 2021 and 2023. Two years ago he was sold to Championship club Middlesbrough without playing a Premier League game.
Rogers progress at Villa lifted expectations
Rogers joined Villa in January 2024 after fewer than 30 Championship appearances for Boro. Unlike many other new Villa signings, the former West Brom youngster was essentially thrown straight into the side.
He hadnt looked back until August, when question marks over his form question marks whose origins emerged last season became one of the dominant features of Villas dreadful start to 2025-26.
Rogers, who has represented England at every age level within the last decade, barely put a foot right before the September international break.
Adored though he is at Villa Park, a string of substandard displays resulted in heavy criticism. Even in the context of Villas awful form, Rogers shortcomings stood out.
By the time he was ironically cheered for completing a pass against Bologna in the Europa League and subsequently cheered through an improved display in the Premier League against Fulham, another narrative was taking hold.
Long before Rogers started to look a little like his old self in a Villa shirt, hed won plaudits for his contributions for England in September. Some took it as a positive sign, others as a sort of twisted confirmation that he was committed to one more than the other.
After scoring his first senior international goal against Wales on Thursday, its fair to say that Rogers best two performances of the new season have indeed been for England.
Modest improvements match after match for Villa have begun to show glimpses of a terrific talent returning but Villas approach has been consistent amid the noise.
Manager Unai Emery has started Rogers as a matter of course despite frequent suggestions that he shouldnt, showing faith in a player whose quality is beyond dispute and attempting to play him into form.
Behind the scenes, its understood that Villa are eager to sign the England international to a new deal despite his agreeing an extension within 11 months of joining the club and being committed until the summer of 2030.
Why Villa want to extend Rogers contract
Fundamentally, Villas admiration for Rogers is rooted in a belief that his recent form, though not without precedent in 2025, is a blip.
He has dominated Champions League matches and made an impact for England, and Villas football department arent prone to short-term thinking.
Rogers is still seen as one of Villas key players in terms of a combination of on-field ability to financial potential, he is arguably the most important player at the club.
Those financial factors cant just be shrugged off.
Rogers was linked with possible transfers to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window and the potential fees mentioned would have put Villa on their most stable regulatory footing for years.
He might very well be sold within a year. Villas transfer strategy necessarily includes otherwise unwanted player sales and Rogers is where the big bucks can be unlocked in a squad that has a lot of quality but also a ton of miles on the clock.
A new deal before the January transfer window would protect his transfer value from Villas perspective, putting the club in a position of strength whether they choose to keep him, sell him willingly or sell him reluctantly next summer.
A pay increase and a release clause could go a long way towards persuading the player to sign the paperwork.
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