Micah Richards was left blown away by one Aston Villa star against Arsenal as he drew comparisons to Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala.
After securing a 2-1 win over West Ham United on the opening day, Aston Villa were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Saturday evening.
The scoreline reads a comfortable win for the Gunners, who struck both of their goals deep into the second half, but it was far from an easy three points for the visitors.
Villa constantly troubled Mikel Arteta’s men and were unfortunate not to score at least once with Ollie Watkins spurning two golden chances to score, and one which produced a world-class save from David Raya.
Unai Emery’s side deserved at least a point on the night and so did attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, who was absolutely sensational.
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Micah Richards compares Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to Jamal Musiala
Most of the talking points after the Arsenal defeat have surrounded Rogers, with the 22-year-old deserving of huge praise following an outstanding performance.
Rogers bullied Arsenal’s midfield with his sheer strength and pace as Jamie Redknapp felt he gave the Gunners nightmares.
Indeed, he left Declan Rice and Thomas Partey trailing in his wake on several occasions while Tim Sherwood thinks Rogers should be worth £80 million.
Sherwood’s praise perhaps reflects his freakish ball-carrying attributes, the sort that have caused Micah Richards to compare him to Bayern Munich wonderkid Jamal Musiala.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Richards said: “But if then if you can break the lines, it just gives you a different dimension, similar to, I know, Musiala plays on the wings for Bayern Munich, but he just drifts past players so easy.
“And if Villa are going to do well this season, I think he’s going to be a key part of it. It’s almost like Ramsey, when he first come on, and Ramsey, we thought, was going to be that guy who was going to be the next best.
“I remember him working under Gerrard, and he said how good he is, and Ramsey looked up to Gerrard. But I think Morgan Rogers potentially has more ability, which is exciting for the Villa fans.”
Starring for Germany and Bayern at the age of 21, Musiala is one of the best attacking midfielders on the planet and is placed in a similar bracket to Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.
Rogers will aspire to reach the levels of that duo in years to come and judging by his early season form, he has the potential to become a world-beater.
Rogers can use Champions League stage to showcase talent
The Villa No.27 has caught the eye in the Premier League as Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer believe Rogers is deserving of an England call-up.
That would be one way to wreak havoc against the world’s best, while another is starring on the European stage for Aston Villa.
Villa await their draw for the Champions League group stage. It’s the first time they’ve qualified for Europe’s elite competition in over 40 years, with excitement for supporters beginning to build.
For Rogers, it’s a chance to show he belongs at Europe’s top table and produce magic against the strongest defences on the planet.
It’s an opportunity that not many players in their careers ever get, so for the West Brom academy graduate, walking out onto the hallowed Villa Park turf under the iconic lights will be a dream come true.
