The latest on Morgan Rogers after Aston Villa forward suffers injury before Newcastle United clash in Premier League.
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers hobbled off during the club’s pre-season friendly against Roma last week, prompting concerns that he may not be fit for the start of the Premier League campaign.
Rogers didn’t feature in either of the Villans’ final friendly fixtures against Marseille and Villarreal over the weekend, increasing those worries. The anxiety becomes higher still when you consider the first game of the new Premier League season, this Saturday at 12.30pm UK time, is a tricky clash with fellow European football hopefuls Newcastle United.
The issue for Rogers, as those in attendance at the Bescot Stadium would have seen, was related to his ankle. The attacking midfielder came on at half time but was forced off just four minutes later after he landed awkwardly on his left foot. Medical staff treated Rogers on the ground before he limped off.
Will Morgan Rogers start for Aston Villa against Newcastle?
Despite the concern at the time and in the days that followed, Birmingham World understands Rogers didn’t sustain a serious injury. Instead, early tests indicated that the England international had merely twisted his ankle. Although he wasn’t fit enough to play against Marseille or Villarreal, there’s a hope he’ll be ready to face Newcastle.
As of the weekend, when Villa made the trips to the south of France and the east of Spain, Unai Emery wasn’t worried about a lengthy absence. Since the team returned to Bodymoor Heath, Rogers has been slowly integrated back into the group, stepping up his preparations for the season opener.
Rogers should be part of the matchday squad, then, but there are doubts over whether he will start. One thing that is for sure is that Emery insists on having Rogers in his starting XI whenever he’s fit. Even at times last season when supporters thought Rogers should be rested during the intense schedule, Emery would still name his number 27 in the lineup.
Should Fantasy Premier League managers avoid Morgan Rogers?
Those most concerned about Rogers and his chances of playing against Newcastle are not only Villa fans, but also Fantasy Premier League managers. Rogers, listed last season as a mega-cheap £5.0m option, scored 161 points, the seventh-most out of all midfielders. Rogers’ price has risen to £7.0m this term, but that could still represent great value.
There aren’t many strong options at the £7.0m price point and Rogers scored eight goals and made 11 assists last campaign, so many FPL managers are thinking about naming him in their squads. It’s a risk to have him from the very beginning, however, as he’s not guaranteed to start against Newcastle.
One approach could be to go for an alternative at the lower £6.5m price point, with Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus, Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma all tempting options. Or, if managers are feeling daring, they could skip the middle man and just go with Rogers from the start, hoping he gets minutes.
Will you be naming Rogers in your FPL team? Let us know.
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