Morgan Rogers has enjoyed a rapid rise under Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
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Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has opened up about his challenging time at Manchester City.
After coming through the ranks at West Bromwich Albion, Rogers joined City in 2019 at the age of 17.
Despite being recognised as one of England’s most talented youngsters at the time, Rogers has admitted that he wasn’t at the level required to make an impression in the first team - both before and after three loan spells in the Football League.
“I wasn’t good enough, simple as that,” he admitted in an interview with ITV Sport. “I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to be there (at City). I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t the person they signed in terms of what they expected me to go on and become.
“Yeah, it wasn’t the right player at the right time - for me or the club. I struggled. I’d never experienced anything different, I suppose, in a football sense before then - and I struggled to be myself in a kind of ‘All Stars’ team.
“At that age, fitting in and showing my quality within that setup - I found it very difficult. I struggled to be me in the structured team we had.
“At West Brom, I could be myself and just play my game. Whereas at Manchester City, I was surrounded by players representing their countries - whether it was England or others. Having to adapt, I found really difficult, and I struggled a lot.”
Throughout his time at City, Rogers was sent out on loan to Lincoln City, Bournemouth, and Blackpool.
“The Lincoln one went so well - playing with freedom and confidence, with a smile on my face,” he said.
“It was a great group with a great manager. After the struggle when I first went to (Man) City, the freedom and excitement came back into my game, and I kind of found myself again.
“The next one (Bournemouth), I didn’t play, and I struggled for seven or eight months. I lost myself again - I lost my identity in terms of the player I wanted to be.
“That confidence disappeared, and then I got injured for six months. After that, I went on loan to Blackpool to play for a manager I had worked with at Lincoln, just to get games. But he got sacked after two matches. Those three years were hard - for different reasons.”
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