How Rogers went from Man City prospect to Guardiola tormentor

Morgan Rogers scored his eighth goal in 38 matches for Aston Villa as they beat Manchester City on Saturday

After scoring Aston Villa's second goal in a deserved Premier League win over Manchester City, Morgan Rogers did the "shivering" celebration popularised - and potentially soon trademarked - by Chelsea's Cole Palmer.

If you believe Rogers, however, he came up with the celebration when he and Palmer were Manchester City academy team-mates.

Palmer and Rogers have more in common that just a celebration. Both were unable to break through at City, before finding Premier League fortune elsewhere.

While Palmer is a Premier League supernova at Chelsea, Rogers has been more of a slow burn.

But they share a deftness of touch, a directness of run, and the granite confidence to try the unusual and unexpected - allied with the skill to pull it off.

All that was on display at Villa Park on Saturday as Rogers returned to haunt Pep Guardiola and send his former club to a sixth defeat in eight league games, while continuing to enhance his reputation.

So good was Rogers, Guardiola had to field questions at the post-match media conference as to why City allowed the winger to go.

"It was a team which won the treble and quadruple," he said. "Sometimes it's the right time.

"Everyone knows how good Morgan is. Sometimes they are two or three years younger and there is David Silva, Riyad [Mahrez], Raheem [Sterling].

"I'm happy for him, he is a lovely guy. England have an exceptional player."

'He has to add goals to his numbers'

Rogers doubled Villa's lead with a smart low finish, having given the City defence the slip in the first half before speeding clear and unselfishly feeding Jhon Duran to open the scoring.

This was the first-ever Premier League game in which Rogers has both scored and assisted. It was his fourth strike of the season, and his eighth in 28 league matches for Villa.

Those are not prolific numbers, but this was another in a line of matches where Rogers has given more than the stats suggested.

Clearly he has the trust of manager Unai Emery, who has started him in every league game this season, and both player and coach think he is capable of more.

"I try to thrive in big games and I want to show what I am about," Rogers told TNT Sports after the City win.

"Sometimes I will do the hard bit and then struggle to find that bit of quality and have that composure. This season I have squandered a few chances that I would have liked to score."

Emery added: "He played fantastic today, he is very important. Through him we are getting the performances back because he links strikers with midfielders and wingers. Today he was fantastic in the second half, connecting with strikers and scoring the goals.

"He has to add goals to his numbers, and today he was fantastic."

Away from the cold goal and assist stats, Rogers was near irresistible against City. His goal came a few minutes after he hit the post following some fine individual work.

Soon after scoring, he set Ollie Watkins away with a magnificent deceptive through ball, but the striker could not make it 3-0 as he shot at the keeper.

Against City he had four shots, attempted five dribbles - completing three - and took six touches in the opposition box. In all of those metrics, he was top of the Villa list.

Admittedly all this was against a City defence shorn of confidence, but Rogers made established internationals look like an over-40s team - and not a good one.

'He takes the game by the scruff of the neck'

"I am loving watching Morgan Rogers play," former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Rogers looks super intelligent, he takes the game by the scruff of the neck. He's not frantically looking for the ball, but he's in the right place."

Rogers' path to ever present for the team ranked fourth-best in the country last season has been circuitous. At 22 years old, he 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 before he joined Middlesbrough on a permanent £1.5m deal in July 2023.

He had a mixed start to last season but showed flashes of excellence, including against Chelsea across both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final last January. Still, there was some surprise when Aston Villa paid £8m plus add-ons for him later that month.

But this looks increasingly like one of the best bargains of recent years. Amid talk of clubs struggling to improve and sign players amid profit and sustainability rules, Rogers is an example of what clubs can do with some transfer savvy and a willingness to grow young players.

He extended his Villa contract in November to 2030, continuing a working relationship with Emery that Rogers says has been essential to his success.

"Every day he pushes me - he doesn't let me have a second off," he told TNT of Emery.

"He wants the best for me and that's perfect for me. We have a good working relationship, I am not the only one he has improved. I want to keep going on that trajectory and see where it takes me."

Earlier this season, Morgan made his senior international debut in England's 3-0 Nations League win at Greece – having been a late call-up when eight players withdrew, including Palmer.

Perhaps soon the two former colleagues will share a pitch on the same side once again. It is a tantalising prospect for any England fan, as Rogers' reputation continues to grow.