On 19 August 2025, Morgan Rogers received the award of PFA Young Player of the Year.
**Arsenal**academy boys Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, former **Bournemouth**defenders Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, and Liam Delap, who has moved from Ipswich Town to Chelsea, were the other five nominees going for the award. But the pride of place went to the 23-year-old.
After Andy Gray, Gary Shaw, Ashley Young, and James Milner, he is the fifth Villa player to earn this accolade. It is a fitting tribute to a player who took this transfer in his stride from the very start.
Rogers’ rise is just beginning
It has been a meteoric ascent for Rogers during the last 18 months. He had been on the books at Man City but he never featured for the first team, going on loan to Lincoln City, Bournemouth, and Blackpool.
In the summer of 2023, the attacker signed for Middlesbrough. He scored five times for the side on their way to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup, and his performances caught the eye of Aston Villa. For a transfer fee that may go up to £15 million, he moved back to the Midlands in February 2024.
By the end of March, he had already nailed down a starting spot as a ten or to the left of the three in the 4-2-3-1 formation of the Villans, helping the team to book a spot in the Champions League.
The next season started brightly. His rampaging runs, vision, and technical skill caused chaos at Villa Park in a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal. The first home fixture on the schedule for Villa had not gone to plan, and marked their latest loss at the ground, but the late Saturday kickoff confirmed his class.
The 23-year-old would score eight goals and assist ten more last term in the Premier League, and also netted a hat-trick against Celtic to wrap up a top eight spot in the league phase of the club's first **Champions League**campaign, becoming the second youngest Englishman to achieve this feat.
The denial of his goal at **Old Trafford**on the final matchday meant Villa had to accept Europa League football, and they also did not win any trophies, losing 3-0 to Crystal Palace in the **FA Cup**semi-final. Yet, the club continue to excel under Unai Emery and have a top talent in their ranks.
Rogers has taken this award from Cole Palmer, with whom he shares the 'ice cold' celebration. The **Chelsea**talisman has since led the Blues to long-awaited titles: Rogers would love to do the same.