Don Goodman admits he has been surprised by just how well Morgan Rogers has performed for Aston Villa over the past couple of months.
Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough in the January transfer window for an initial £8million fee that could potentially rise to £15m [BBC Sport].
Goodman questioned that valuation after the 21-year-old was used sparingly by Unai Emery in his first six weeks or so at Villa Park.
However, Rogers soon became a regular for Emery prior to sustaining an injury against Brighton last week that has now left him sidelined – potentially for the rest of the season.
Speaking to Villa News about the impact the attacker has made, Goodman said: “I’ve mentioned previously that I really wasn’t sure if he was ready for the Premier League, and that Villa appeared to have just invested in potential.
“But I’ll hold my hands up – he’s done way better than I anticipated and played way more than I anticipated. He glides across the ground and has the ability to beat his man, which is invaluable in modern football because it opens up spaces.
“When you have a ball-carrying midfielder that gets past people, things start to happen. So it’s a blow being without him, but then again they did incredibly well before Morgan Rogers arrived at the football club and they have the ability to do so again.”
Morgan Rogers making big impact at Aston Villa
Emery clearly liked what he saw from Rogers and, after an initial easing in period, the England international in waiting has already started to pay back some of his transfer fee.
Indeed, Rogers has three goals and an assist across 640 minutes of Premier League action for the Villans – an average of 0.56 goal involvements per 90 minutes [FBref].
For context, Moussa Diaby manages 0.59, albeit across far more minutes. The bottom line is that Rogers is already proving a quality addition to the side, despite his young age.
While it may not have looked it around the time, Rogers is proving to be a huge asset for Villa not just for right now, but hopefully for years to come.
Fingers crossed he can hit the ground running upon his return, whenever that may be.
