Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City may have underestimated Morgan Rogers after the youngster’s rapid rise at Aston Villa. Despite never featuring in City’s first team—spending loan spells at Lincoln, Bournemouth and Blackpool before a permanent move to Middlesbrough—Rogers has since become a full England international and even found the net in Villa’s Champions League quarter‑final clash with Paris Saint‑Germain.
Speaking ahead of a “winner‑takes‑all” clash for a final Champions League berth, Guardiola looked back on Rogers’s days at the Etihad with regret:
“He was in the second team, and trained sometimes with us, and we could see something like could do it, but the impact he’s had in Villa—what a player. We had an exceptional player here, absolutely.”
City currently sit just one point above Villa in a five‑way fight for the last three Champions League places. Guardiola describes their upcoming showdown as akin to a final and paid tribute to the challenge Rogers has posed in Europe:
“It’s a contender to qualify for the Champions League, and you see both games—they play against my friend Luis Enrique at PSG. Wow, I was really, really impressed.”
Meanwhile, Guardiola’s confidence at the back has been boosted by Josko Gvardiol’s recent partnership with Ruben Dias, alongside January recruits Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov. When asked if City still need to invest in a centre‑back, he added: “They are doing a really, really good partnership… I don’t think we’re going to [sign another]. The club needs central defenders because we have a lot, and we bought two young ones.”
Morgan Rogers – Premier League 2024–25 Statistics
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 32 |
| Goals | 8 |
| Assists | 8 |
| Chances Created (Key Passes) | 46 |
With Morgan Rogers thriving at Villa and City’s Champions League hopes on the line, will Guardiola’s side rue letting him slip away—and can Rogers be the difference when the two meet?
1 Comment (last comment by Adem)
First read message
By Adem 22 Apr 2025 09:10
Rogers isnt the only one he let go right. Palmer, Porro and that Right back from Leverkussen, forgot his name. These things happen in football.
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