Aston Villa’s recruitment has showcased its worth once again with the Morgan Rogers signing.
The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa last January from Championship side and there was an air of question marks over his head.
From whether Rogers was ready for the Premier League or the price tag on his head, all of that has now been answered and dealt with.
Rogers is one of the first names on the teamsheet under Unai Emery and his stock continues to rise. There were even suggestions that Rogers could become a £100 million player.
Aston Villa were beaten by Liverpool at the weekend – their fourth defeat on the bounce, with Alan Shearer reviewing the match.
The Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer thinks Villa are a ‘good team’ and their fans should be ‘happy’ with where they are.
Before he made some interesting comments about Rogers, which have now come true.
Alan Shearer tells Morgan Rogers to improve his finishing
If there is anyone you are going to listen to, regarding your finishing, then it’s going to be Shearer, who bagged 260 Premier League goals in his career.
He noted the chances Villa had at Anfield, including the guilt-edge opportunity for Rogers at the start of the second half, but he wasn’t able to bury it.
That’s why Shearer told The Rest is Football that Rogers needs to ‘brush up’ on his finishing and he felt, at the time, it was a reason for him not being called up for England.
But, of course, all of that has now changed amid the latest news.
“They had a couple of chances, didn’t they,” said Shearer about Villa’s Anfield performance. “Rogers had a couple of chances.
“That’s the one thing that he has to brush up on also. Some of his play has been superb this season. Maybe a tad unlucky not to be in the England squad. He perhaps would have been in had he scored the goals that he should have. He has had chances. Very much like against Liverpool.
“But I think Villa are a good team. They are in the mix to get into the top four, which is where I thought they would end up. I know it’s not been great the last week or two. I would be very happy if I was a Villa fan for where they are.”
Rogers earns maiden England call-up
Surprise, surprise, there have been numerous withdrawals from the England squad – up to eight – and it’s for Lee Carsley’s final camp.
New England boss Thomas Tuchel has had no say on this squad, so it’s easier for players to pull out, especially with a heavy fixture load coming up for the winter.
But all of that has opened the door for Rogers to earn his maiden England call-up, as announced by the official accounts on social media.
Perhaps the attacking midfielder does need to brush up on his finishing, but this is now the next step in his career.
