Rogers' Renaissance Earns High Praise from Pundit
Former Birmingham City captain Troy Deeney has thrown his weight behind Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers in the heated debate over who should be England's attacking midfielder, suggesting the in-form Villa star has now surpassed Jude Bellingham in the pecking order.
Deeney's comments come after Rogers produced a stunning individual display, scoring twice to help Aston Villa overturn a one-goal deficit to secure a vital victory against Leeds United on Sunday.
A Match-Winning Performance at Leeds
The England international first showed his poacher's instinct with a neat near-post finish to cancel out Lukas Nmecha's opener for the home side. Rogers then demonstrated his technical brilliance, scoring directly from a free-kick for the first time in his career with a stunning knuckleball effort that left goalkeeper Lucas Perri rooted to the spot.
This crucial contribution was instrumental in securing a result that lifted Villa into the Premier League's top four and extended their winning streak to three consecutive matches. The performance was so impressive that it earned Rogers a coveted spot in Deeney's Team of the Week on the BBC Sport website.
From 'Entitled' to Essential for Villa and England
While celebrating Rogers' current form, Deeney did not shy away from referencing the player's difficult start to the season. The pundit admitted he felt Rogers appeared "a little bit entitled" during the summer, a period filled with transfer speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea.
However, Deeney noted a significant change, stating the 23-year-old has now "settled down" following his decision to commit his future to Aston Villa by signing a new long-term contract until 2031.
In a powerful conclusion, Deeney aligned himself with Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel's apparent view, declaring: "Maybe this is the only thing that I agree with Thomas Tuchel on - he has got to a point now where it's going to be very difficult to drop Morgan Rogers." He firmly suggested that Rogers' current form makes him the prime candidate for the England No. 10 role at next year's World Cup, placing him ahead of former Blues favourite Jude Bellingham.
