From League One to Champions League - Rogers' rapid rise

It's 3 October 2023 and Morgan Rogers has found himself in an all-too familiar situation.

The young attacking midfielder is sitting on the bench at the Riverside Stadium, watching his Middlesbrough team-mates take on Cardiff City in the Championship.

Seven games into the new season and Michael Carrick's Boro side are winless and struggling, as is Rogers. He doesn't know it yet, but this is the fifth of 12 consecutive league matches he will start on the bench.

Fast forward 365 days and Rogers helps Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in their first Champions League home match in 42 years.

The 22-year-old Englishman has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top, but it's been far from straightforward.

Watch the full interview with Rogers on Football Focus on BBC One and online from 12:05 GMT on Saturday, 9 November.

A journeyman by 22

At 22 years old, Rogers has already played for seven clubs.

After joining West Brom aged nine and making his senior debut at 16, Rogers' talent attracted the interest of Manchester City.

Loan spells followed with Lincoln City in League One, then Bournemouth and Blackpool in the Championship, which Rogers believes helped shape him as a player.

"It is challenging but something I wanted to do. I wanted to play and I would make the same decisions again," Rogers tells Football Focus.

"It was about getting games under my belt. [They] are all experiences to take, I wouldn't be the person I am now if I hadn't had those experiences."

'I couldn't say no'

Morgan Rogers has started all of Aston Villa's matches this season

Rogers joined Middlesbrough in a £1.5m deal in July 2023 and had a mixed start to the season. Eyebrows were raised when Aston Villa paid £8m plus add-ons for him just seven months later.

"It was pretty easy when I found out the team who wanted me," says Rogers.

"It was tough leaving Middlesbrough because it was a fresh start. I felt close to the team and coaches, but when a team like Villa comes in it is impossible to say no. Being a lad from Birmingham it was the perfect reality. I couldn't say no."

After helping Villa finish fourth last season, Rogers has since started all 12 of their games in the Premier League and Champions League.

"I have always had that belief and wanted to get to the highest level of football," he says.

"[Playing in the] Champions League - it is crazy. The feeling doesn't wear off. To be a part of that is something I didn't expect to happen so quickly.

"It is mad and surreal to feel I am playing against that level and calibre of player. It's cool and exciting. I love football so much, so stuff like that still excites me.

"The Bayern game - stars from one to 11, all of them are superstars and it was a surreal moment to think I am on the pitch with them."

'Different to any other manager'

Rogers credits Aston Villa manager Unai Emery with his improvement

Unai Emery guiding Villa to a place in the top four was the story of last season, but to Rogers it was no surprise.

"The manager is so intense. He is next level in terms of little things normal people wouldn't see," says Rogers.

"You see the correlation down the line and why he honed in on it. He does it 100 times per week - you are never surprised. He is so demanding and so high level - he brings out the best in you. I have improved with him massively.

"The confidence and belief he has given me is massive. Giving that trust and belief means a lot - but he is still pushing me as well.

"He wants me to drive with the ball, being brave to do it and he allows me to do it. Now it is about decision-making, little details and what I can keep adding. Use your body, use your strength.

"I love the game and someone like that who also loves the game works so well for me. He finds a way to improve players as well as having that drive to win games, and that is probably how he is different to any other manager."

After growing up idolising the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Neymar, Rogers is gracing the same stages they did. But he isn't done yet.

The England Under-21 international has seen team-mates make the jump to the senior side, a path he intends to follow.

"Playing at major tournaments for your country is the dream," he says.

"But in my position there are some world-class players. I'm not going to be hurt if I don't get selected. It's an ambition for me, but hopefully I can keep knocking on the door.

"There is nothing better than seeing players you have grown up with do so well. It is so refreshing to see and shows the pathway does mean something from the England youth."