Morgan Rogers already made Middlesbrough match commitment clear long before Aston Villa interest
Morgan Rogers may be the subject of intensifying transfer speculation over a potential move from Middlesbrough to Aston Villa, but the forward has previously given as clear an indication as possible that he will give his all for the cause for as long as he remains at the club.
Boro are believed to rejected bids from Aston Villa this month, with their interest in Rogers emerging last Thursday and coming somewhat out of the blue for most on Teesside. Despite that, Boro head coach Michael Carrick had no hesitation in starting Rogers in Saturday’s clash with Rotherham on Saturday simply saying after ‘he’s our player’ as he refused to be drawn on the speculation.
Rogers is expected to still be part of Boro’s squad on Tuesday evening when they clash with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg – returning to the fold in the competition having been forced to miss the first leg due to suspension. The competition has certainly proven important to Rogers and his Boro development.
Having suffered a difficult start on Teesside while doing a job for Carrick as a centre-forward early on, Rogers would eventually drop out of the league team and instead used the club’s progression in the Carabao Cup to grow and showcase what he’s capable of. With four goals, he leads the scoring charts in the competition.
And discussing exactly that last month – long before he knew anything about Villa’s interest, it must be noted – he made clear that no matter the circumstances, he would always give his all on the pitch, leaving no doubt for Carrick over his commitment in the short-term while his longer-term future remains uncertain.
Talking about the Carabao Cup, Rogers said after the win over West Brom: “Every game is important to me, no matter the competition. I just love playing football. With the cup, there have been certain games where I wasn’t in the league team, so the cup was a good chance to get some minutes, keep on top of myself and boost my confidence by showing what I’m about.
“The team has been doing so well in the league but I just love being on the pitch and it’s what I dream about all week really. So, no matter what, I’m always going to give it my all and try and show what I’m about.”
Ahead of the trip to Chelsea, Rogers appeared to show exactly that on Saturday. As well as a decisive assist for the Boro equaliser, in an otherwise frustrating afternoon for all in Boro shirts, Rogers’ effort particularly out of possession was clear to see.
The 21-year-old is said to be keen on a move to Villa, with the chance to move back to the Midlands and step up to the Premier League obvious selling points. However, there are no concerns about his attitude at Boro and he is highly rated and valued by all at the club. It’s not expected that he will do anything to try and force the move either.
As things stand, having knocked back previous bids, there are no new offers on the table for Boro to consider. But Villa’s interest doesn’t appear to be going away, with the potential for more talks between the two clubs after Boro’s clash with Chelsea on Tuesday evening.
Boro hold a strong position in any potential negotiations though, with Rogers contracted at Boro for another three seasons beyond this one. Their stance has been clear that they would rather keep the player this month and will only sell for their perceived valuation, which has been reported as £10 million, albeit that figure is unconfirmed at this stage.
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