Morgan Rogers has hailed the influence of Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick as he reflected on a ‘crazy’ 12 months in his fledgling career.
Rogers made a shock exit from Boro last January to join Aston Villa, just six months after first arriving. Given he’d only just started to show his true potential in the final month of his Riverside spell, his Premier League move shocked many at the time.
But Rogers has gone from strength to strength at Villa Park, with standout performances in the Premier League and Champions League, while also earning his first England cap. And speaking to ITV Sport ahead of what proved to be his first Three Lions start against Latvia on Monday, Rogers noted the influence of his Boro head coach in his quickfire rise.
Asked who was the coach who had the biggest impact on his career so far, Rogers said: “Unai [Emery] has obviously been important with the style of play and what he’s made me; the confidence he’s embedded in me. He’s allowed me to be me and really show my skills.
“Michael Carrick too. He was the coach that spoke to me away from football. There was always a line of communication with him which I thought was vital at that time. I still speak to him now.
“I had a difficult three years going out on loan before Middlesbrough, but I don’t think I’d be the player I am now without the experiences. It gave me the toughness to go through adversity, helped me grow up and learn about myself and what I needed to improve. At that time, I wasn’t ready.”
Asked what word best describes the last 12 months for him, he said: “Crazy. I just think how everything has happened so quickly, and how every opportunity has just kind of fallen on my lap, and then I’ve just taken it in my stride and moved forward with it.
“There was the move to Aston Villa, that brought Champions League football and playing more games at Premier League level. I made my England debut, Champions League hat-trick… yeah things have been happening so quickly and I’m just so grateful and so happy.”
Though his spell at Boro was a lot shorter than expected or hoped, there is real pride at Rockliffe in Rogers’ rapid rise. As well as earning Boro a tidy profit, he is a shining example to potential future signings of how Boro are keen to help develop younger talent. Joining from Man City, he was a gamble from Boro’s recruitment team, paying around £1.2m for the forward who’d had three difficult years on loan elsewhere.
On why it didn’t work out at the Etihad, Rogers admitted: “I struggled to adapt, I think. I’d never experienced anything different in a footballing sense before that. I struggled to be that in an all-stars team in that age group. To fit in and show my quality within that.
“I found it very difficult to be able to be me in the structured team that we had. At West Brom I could be me and play my game. I was surrounded by everyone playing for their countries, having to adapt. I found it really difficult and really struggled.
“I wasn’t good enough, simple as that. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t the person that they signed in terms of what they expected me to go on and be. I wasn’t the right player at the right time for me or the club.”