Morgan Rogers can pinpoint the moment he knew he no longer wanted to be just another young player with bags of potential.
He was in conversation with Michael Carrick last year, the Manchester United legend and his then-manager at Middlesbrough, discussing what separates those 10-a-penny raw talents who turn it on and off, a ‘glimpses player’ as Rogers calls it, and those complete stars you build a team around.
What’s the difference, asked Carrick? What does a player with potential look like? And what does it look like to fulfil it? And what, above all, is it that enables you to do it?
The cogs began to turn in Rogers’ mind. Because that’s what this impressive 22-year-old has become for Aston Villa this season under Unai Emery, one of the most consistently brilliant players in the Premier League and now with an England call-up to show for it.
‘It’s hard to explain what it looks like,’ said Rogers, as he sat in front of the media at St George’s Park ahead of a potential senior debut against Greece on Thursday with the air of a seasoned pro who knew this was where he always belonged.
Morgan Rogers’ call-up to the England squad has followed consistently brilliant performances
Rogers is a key player for Aston Villa and may make his senior England debut against Greece
The 22-year-old credits his former Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick for helping his rise
‘You just know, you just feel more, more of a complete player, I think, not a moments player, not a glimpses player. You become a regular and a mainstay in the team, and that’s what I felt, especially this season.
‘You don’t just want to be that person that turns it on and off, where you see it and then you don’t see it. I want to be the person that when you come to watch me play, you know what you’re going to get from me. It’s not always going to be perfect, and you can live with that, but as long as you your mindset and your mentality is right, which I think is a big thing for me this year, I’m going to keep going, I’m going to keep trying to do the right things no matter what.
‘I showed glimpses towards the end of last season, but this season and preseason, it was a real mindset that I wanted to be a mainstay in the team. I wanted to progress and develop, and I want to show what I’m about and take that next leap.’
And, boy, has he done that. He’s started every game in the Premier League and Champions League for Villa this season, the side he joined from Boro in February. Even he admits he’s surprised himself with how well he’s played. Rogers only received his call-up to the England squad due to a spare or dropouts but there’s many who feel he should have one in the first place.
For Rogers, he puts it down to his work ethic — he’s hired a private chef and spent his summer training in 40-degree heat in Miami and Las Vegas — but also the influence of Emery and his team-mates at Villa.
‘I think any player would say that trust from a manager is the most important thing, and he gave me that from day one,’ he said. ‘He threw me in the deep end when people were injured last season, and gave me a chance to shine and develop and to become the person I am now.
‘He’s the perfect person for me. He demands and pushes me every day, and so do the players. I’ve got players around me that that push me every day to improve and get better.’
Carrick, too, in his Boro days. ‘He’s a very good manager, but even better person. He is just like the way he played, that chilled-out character, and he was so good with me and helped me, help me get through difficult moments in that time I was with him.’
Rogers explained that Carrick discussed the difference ‘glimpses players’ and complete stars
The trust shown by Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has helped Rogers to flourish since his move
The midfielder has gone from strength to strengthen since joining Aston Villa in February
Now, Emery is building his team around Rogers. Rogers hopes, one day, Thomas Tuchel will do the same. For now, he’s ready to soak it all in and keep learning.
‘First and foremost, I think taking it in like a sponge and just taking bits of people’s game and how they train, how they work, because they’re at the top of their game, and that’s where I only get to,’ added Rogers.
‘Not only aspire to be a player in the team, but a consistent player in the team, playing regularly for my country, and that’s where I want to get to. So, why not learn off the players that are in that position at the moment and try and develop myself and improve and test myself and show why I deserve to be here and see where it takes me.’
Rogers described the moment he received his call-up as surreal. The same applied to his first training session with Lee Carsley’s squad.
‘Yeah, it’s like that again,’ said Rogers. ‘The players that you are surrounded by, the players that you watch on TV every week, performing at the high level. I’m a big England fan, so I’ve watched all the internationals growing up, so playing with these players now is, yeah, it’s a pinch me moment. I’m just really excited to learn what I can, to see what it’s all about and to show what I’m about at the same time.’
Rogers says his standout England memory growing up was watching David Beckham’s famous free-kick against Greece that secured qualification to the 2002 World Cup — though he must have watched it on YouTube as Rogers was born six months after it happened.
How he’d love to make his own memories if he can force his way into the squad for the World Cup in two years’ time.
‘There’s nothing like the boys in the excitement of the nation coming together when there’s major tournaments,’ said Rogers. ‘It’s massive thing for the whole country. So watching that growing up, it’s surreal to now be a part of it, and to be around players have experienced all that.’
Rogers could make his senior England debut when they face Greece in the Nations League
The midfielder wants to become a regular part of the team under new boss Thomas Tuchel
What he hopes will stand him in good stead, not just his star qualities, but also his versatility.
‘Growing up, I was more of a winger, came through academies as a winger, and then when I was in the Championship with Middlesbrough got moved centrally, even played as a striker. So now I’m happy to play wherever. I feel like I’ve got the capabilities to play in multiple positions. I pride myself on that, that I can change and alter my game to whatever is needed.’
Rogers, who was born in Halesowen, talks with that West Midlands twang and is proud to be following in the footsteps of fellow Brummies Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish. ‘Best city in England, Birmingham,’ he said with a grin. ‘That’s why they make the best players!’
He’s proud, too, of being able to make that phone call to his family, to his parents Deborah and Howard, to tell them he’d been called up.
‘It was a nice call to make,’ he said. ‘They’re just immensely proud and happy for me. They’ve been by my side from the start, from taking me to games when I was younger at West Brom, to now they’re still coming to pretty much every game, regardless of where it is, and support like that doesn’t go unnoticed.
‘I wouldn’t be the person or the player I am if it wasn’t for them, just the support, the guide, everything. I’m a big family person, so that’s massive for me, that I can make them proud and kind of give them something back for everything they’ve done for me over the years.’
