Aston Villa face Nottingham Forest on Saturday looking to strengthen their grip on fourth spot.
Unai Emery’s men jumped back into the Champions League place last weekend after an impressive 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
With the defeat to Manchester United now a distant memory, Villa will be looking to make it two wins on the spin when Nuno Espirito Santo’s side make the short trip across the Midlands.
Several of Villa’s attacking players are in fine form, and goals have been plentiful at home.
Emery’s starting XI is pretty predictable, especially at the top end of the pitch.
However, the Spaniard could increase the game time of one of Villa’s January additions.
Morgan Rogers should see more Aston Villa minutes
Since completing his £15million transfer from Middlesbrough last month, Morgan Rogers has had to make do with just nine minutes of Premier League football.
Of course, the forward is still only 21 and has plenty of years ahead of him at Villa Park.
Nevertheless, Emery should trust the former Lincoln man to make the odd substitute appearance, even if a fixture is yet to be decided.
Exposing younger players to difficult situations can aid development, and that’s what the Villa boss should consider.
Rogers featured 26 times in the Championship before his January move, one of the first names in Michael Carrick’s starting XI.
With Forest struggling near the foot of the table and Villa expected to win on Saturday, potentially throwing the 21-year-old on longer is an option.
This feels like an excellent fixture for Emery to properly introduce his new signing to the Villa Park faithful.
Can Rogers make an impact for Aston Villa?
Only time will tell whether Rogers can step up, but if his spell at Boro is anything to go by, Villa have a talent on their books.
Talking at the end of 2023, Carrick was full of praise for the former Manchester City youngster.
“He creates, he’s dangerous. He’s a huge talent,” Carrick told The Gazette.
“He’s fantastic to work with, he wants to learn and get better all the time and is desperate to give what he can for the team, which is brilliant. He’s got a terrific attitude for the game and is showing his quality.”
Rogers has EFL experience and all the physical attributes to become a prolific Premier League forward. It’s now up to the club to manage his development correctly over the coming weeks and months.
