Tough love has transformed Morgan Rogers into a Premier League thoroughbred.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery gave the 22-year-old a second shot at breaking through in the top flight. But he refused to acknowledge his £7m recruit from Middlesbrough as anything other than ‘a Championship player’ until the Black Country boy proved his worth.
He said: “Unai didn’t love me at the start. That’s the way he manages, especially me. It was very much a case of tough love.
“Early on, we had a conversation. He said: ‘Until you have proved yourself in the Premier League, you are still – in my eyes – a Championship player.’
“That stuck with me and still does. Now, I get what he means – but at the time, you think: ‘That’s a bit harsh,’ but when I look back, I know what he was trying to do.
“I was a Premier League player. I was on the bench or playing. But I wasn’t established – that’s what he meant – that I could be trusted in every game, 100 per cent.
“He zeroed in on details he wanted me to improve upon and get better at. If he hadn’t, I’d have gone through the motions and it would have taken me longer to integrate.
“He didn’t want any of that. He wanted me to instantly get it and understand it. I pride myself on knowing football, loving the game and knowing what he asked from me. It was hard to get used to the intensity of training and the level and I was trying to learn on the fly.”
It has been some 12 months for Rogers.
A boy wonder at West Brom, he was sold to Manchester City as a teen for £4m, rising to £7, but a couple of loan spells ended with him in danger of being lost in the system. He turned 21. And decided to follow his own path.
What a decision. A sliding doors moment followed when Villa played his next club, Middlesbrough, in the FA Cup at the turn of the year. Emery liked what he saw and backed his decision with cold, hard cash on the final day of this year’s January window.
Rogers said: “I can honestly say Manchester City didn’t go the way I expected. When I was younger, I was the one being pushed forward and going higher. There, it didn’t work that way. I found it difficult. I found it hard.
“I was young, leaving home at a young age. Look, it’s made me who I am. No-one’s journey is the same. But if I had been caught thinking: “I should be at this level,’ and I wasn’t, then it would have been a problem.
“I was unsure at first, leaving, I wasn’t sure if it was my best decision. I’d been to Lincoln on loan, Bournemouth and I’d just come back from Blackpool. Did I really want to be that player who jumps from club to club without really feeling the love of the team?
“I wanted a home. It sounds bad because I was only there six months but I wanted to feel like a permanent part of the group. I got that from minute one at Middlesbrough. I felt integrated. I felt like I belonged – as opposed to being a Manchester City player who knew he was going back.
“Once I made the decision, I haven’t looked back. I’d still make the same decision 100 times over. It brought out the best in me.”
That best was seen by Emery at the Riverside.
Since then, Rogers has become a Premier League regular, helped Villa qualify for the Champions League, played in the Champions League, and earned himself a stonking pay rise through a monster five-and-a-half-year deal.
And picked up two England caps.
He said: “You probably don’t realise how big that FA Cup game was for me. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was another game. I loved my time at Middlesbrough. I was really kicking on and enjoying it. I found it difficult when I first went there. I felt confident going into that game, testing myself against Villa – one of the best teams in England at that time.
“I wanted to see the levels, to see how far off I was. Like I did when I played against Chelsea in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. It was a moment like that. I still felt I wasn’t on their level.
“I always believed I would get back to where everyone thought I would be. I always knew that right club, that right time would come for me to shine. Everyone’s pathways are different. The players I played with at youth level, some have risen, others have plummeted.
“In a few years, my name might not have been mentioned as loudly, but I’m still that same person with that motivation and drive. I still believed I could get here. It was patience and motivation, learning the game, understanding myself, and taking it to the next level.
“I’m still pinching myself. But I’ve loved every moment of it. Loved the journey I’ve taken. It’s been challenging at times, different at times but to know that the hard work pays off and you get the accolades. It’s for me, obviously, but it’s also for everyone around me.
“I’ve got to go out on the pitch and do it but there’s a lot more to it than that. I’ve had a lot of help. I’m grateful to everyone who has helped. I really am. Hopefully 2025 will be even better.”
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