Former Middlesbrough man Morgan Rogers has opened up on his start to life at Aston Villa and his new manager Unai Emery.
Rogers, 21, only joined Middlesbrough last summer.
And after half-a-season in the Championship, with two goals and six assists in 26 league games under Michael Carrick, Rogers was sold.
Aston Villa swooped in late in the January transfer window with a reported £15million offer, eventually getting Rogers over the line and leaving Middlesbrough short-handed.
Morgan Rogers at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough were widely reported to have signed Rogers from Manchester City for just £1.5million.
So they made a huge profit on the England U21s man, who recently shone for the Young Lions against Luxembourg, and that will be pleasing to owner Steve Gibson.
Although Rogers clearly showed enough promise to entice Aston Villa into splashing out on him, Rogers received mixed reviews from Middlesbrough fans.
And it seems like Rogers has endured a mixed start to life in the Premier League.
Morgan Rogers opens up on tough start to life at Aston Villa
Rogers never made a Premier League appearance with Man City. But he’s now made five for Aston Villa, earning plaudits for his performance in the 2-0 win over rivals Wolves on Saturday; he’s yet to score of register an assist for Villa, though.
Since, Rogers has opened up on his Aston Villa career so far and his relationship with manager Emery, telling Daily Mail:
“He likes to mention I’m a Championship player a lot. He’s trying to push me because he wants me to get to the next level and it’s about showing me I can.
“That’s the kind of relationship we have. It’s motivational, not a negative thing. If I’m not 100 per cent at the level every day in training, he will be the first one to let me know.
“I wouldn’t want to change that. He pushes me and I feel I’m getting better.”
Money in the bank for Middlesbrough, but harsh lessons learned
Rogers represents very good business from Middlesbrough, but poor planning.
Signing a player for £1.5million and then selling him for 10x more in just half-a-season is a credit to the club and to Carrick for how he utilised him.
But Carrick was left short in attack when Rogers left.
Emmanuel Latte Lath was injured and now Riley McGree and Marcus Forss are injured, putting a lot of pressure on Latte Lath to hopefully fire Boro into a late top-six spot.
Having Rogers in the side would no doubt have bolstered Middlesbrough’s promotion hopes, but Gibson will surely be rubbing his hands at the £15million and hopefully be readying a big summer transfer window.
That £15million could go towards some top players which are certainly needed at the Riverside, with Boro having endured a tough season altogether.
There’s plenty of gaps in the squad that need filling, though Gibson and co will surely have an eye on similar deals to Rogers.
As a Championship club, Middlesbrough almost need to be a selling club, so finding young talents for cheap who can become valuable assets remains a priority.
And they’ve shown they can do just that with Rogers, so there’s hope in the club’s transfer strategy, although several criticisms as well following this season.
Middlesbrough return to action vs Sheffield Wednesday on Monday afternoon.