Morgan Rogers is in talks to sign a contract extension at Aston Villa.
The club are keen to bring Rogers’ salary, who has impressed since joining from Middlesbrough in January, in line with team-mates and to reflect his standing as a key part of Unai Emery’s side.
A similar situation materialised at the start of this month, with Jhon Duran signing a two-year extension to take his stay at the club until 2030. Both were signed as young players with high potential and, as a result, were initially on a lower salary compared to more experienced team-mates.
Rogers, 22, signed a five-and-a-half-year deal after joining for £15million and has made 28 appearances, scoring five goals and registering four assists. His excellent form this season has led to increased calls regarding an England senior call-up, with manager Unai Emery saying he was “surprised” by his inclusion in the England Under-21s set-up.
‘Early teething issues have given way to becoming a key cog’
Rogers’ ability to absorb instructions has underpinned his Villa start. Early teething issues have given way to becoming a key cog in a team that was, at times, flagging during an intense period.
The Englishman has been deployed just off Ollie Watkins, with Emery viewing his ball-carrying ability as a key method of driving Villa upfield. Rogers is capable of moving on both feet and was comfortable receiving the ball in the half-spaces while possessing the power to run behind defences.
The England youth international was raised a stone’s throw away from West Brom’s stadium The Hawthorns, playing in the club’s academy until he was 17 before joining Manchester City.
Among his backers at youth level were academy manager Mark Harrison and head of junior recruitment Steve Hopcroft. They had both since moved across to work at Villa in similar roles. Harrison’s extensive knowledge — Rogers is not the first to have made the same move and credits Harrison as a chief influence in their formative years — was key in Villa and Emery building an overall view of him.
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