There are few secrets in football. Every shot, pass and tackle is recorded by dozens of exploration platforms, giving clubs access to more information than they can shake a stick.
Yet there are some who slide under the radar of even the most thoughtful eyes.
When Thomas Tuchel was appointed manager of England last October, he had a working knowledge of almost every player – with one remarkable exception.
Tuchel had seen flashes of Morgan Rogers this season and was the last, but it was only when he settled in his chair in Villa Park in January, prior to Aston Villas League League collision with Celtic, that he realized what the hassle was about.
Like first impressions, scoring a hat trick for a new national boss is fairly useful. However, it was not only Rogers' Treble who attracted Tuchel's eye. The 22-year-old has a rare ball transmission and is robust enough to resist the most challenges. On 6ft 3in and with a powerful build, on full flight he looks like a top rugby league player. He also scores very much for touch, vision and finish.
“What a player,” Tuchel would have surprised when Rogers was called that display. Of course, Tuchel Rogers grew in his first team and during that camp his admiration only grew.
Tuchel was hit by how quickly Rogers absorbed his instructions and how relaxed he appeared in the English environment, even though he was a relative newcomer.
It is easy to imagine that Rogers next to good friends Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham are in line in Tuchel's First-Choice XI when England will open their world cup campaign next summer. Rogers' home town of Halesowen is six miles from Stourbridge, where Bellingham grew up. These West Midlands boys first crossed swords in local competitions and forged a friendship from there.
Rogers has called Bellingham, who is earlier a year younger, 'Little Bro' on social media and the families are on good conditions. When Rogers made his senior international debut last November, Bellingham posted a photo of the couple as young people, with English shirts.
Saturday's meeting with Crystal Palace is another chance for Rogers to show his talent with all eyes on him. Villa would bring a victory to their first FA Cup final since 2015 and since 1996 put them on the edge of a first major trophy.
If Rogers scores, he would perform the now known 'Shivering' celebration that was made famous by Palmer. The inspiration is the word 'cold' – a gene room term to give approval – and Rogers insists that he, instead of the Chelsea star, came up with when the couple were in Manchester City in the Junior City. Rogers has threatened jokes to sue his friend for without permission, while the promising young wish of Paris Saint-Germain Doue has also taken over.
It shows how quickly Rogers climbs the mountain. The wider football audience only saw Palmer's assets when he came to Chelsea and he has been there for less than two years. Rogers came to Villa from Middlesbrough in February 2024 and in the era of Data -Reliefde, analysis -based recruitment, it remains a triumph for the old -fashioned eye test.
Had Villa Boro not signed in the third round of the FA Cup, who knows where Rogers would be today?
The last summer he only moved from City to the championship club and still tried to tease a regular place in Michael Carrick's Starting XI.
But when Villa -Baas Unai Emery opened his laptop and Boro's recent luminaires began to dissect, his eyes illuminate. Emery believes that versatility is the most important characteristic for an attacker in today's game and he saw Rogers working effectively on both flanks, as well as in the NO10 position and even in the middle of the middle.
Rogers played so heavily in the Video analysis meetings of the team for that match that Emery's players were wondering whether the manager's enthusiasm was more than met the eye.
And after Villa won 1-0, a few of them approached Rogers to pass on Emery's enthusiasm. “He keeps calling you,” they said. By February 1, Rogers had joined Villa for £ 8.5 million – one of the best deals of recent times, which was much due to the simple happiness of the draw. In almost 15 months in Villa Park, he registered 17 goals and 14 assists in 65 performances.
Emery regards Rogers as one of his smartest players. He likes the way in which the attacker assimilates instructions, usually delivered to Emery's training office via a laptop, quickly and without hassle.
Whether he plays on the right, left or through the middle, Rogers is an important part of the villa that attacks 'box' – when Villa builds the defense, he moves from the flank to receive the ball and play on the left. Although he still has to iron wrinkles in his air games and decision -making with his back to goal, Rogers is progressing well.
Academy coaches Mark Harrison and Steve Hopcroft had collaborated with Rogers when he was Junior in West Bromwich Albion, his boys 'club, and helped his adjustment, but Rogers' Sparky Personality did the rest. He was one of the few who formed a bond with left forward Jhon Duran, who could be a complex character, and helped Marcus Rashford and Donyell Malen to feel at home.
Rogers has strong family support. Brother Daniel Belgrave has a master's degree in counseling and psychotherapy and has collaborated with Chelsea and Tottenham. Under the leadership of another brother, Ash Belgrave, Rogers trained individually in Miami and the Algarve last summer and also hired a personal chef. It has been a complicated trip from Junior Club Hawks, where Rogers was seen as a five -year -old, to the Champions League, but Rogers shows that he belongs there.
Rogers received a new deal with a considerable wage increase last November, less than a year after his move from Boro, and another increase is certainly on the cards this year if he continues to perform, especially with the European elite who has taken a growing interest in the new superstar of English football. The PFA Young Player of the Year Award should be well within reach, especially if Villa ends the season with a trophy.
As an avid cricket fan and a talented player in his youth, Rogers has the meaning of milestones and the semi-final is his 50th performance of the season for Villa. Rogers continues to raise the bar, although when Tuchel looks on Saturday, nothing will surprise him this time.