Aston Villa put one foot into the semi-finals of the Europa League with a brilliant 3-1 win over Serie A side Bologna on Thursday night, despite a relatively poor performance.
Goals from Ezri Konsa and a brace from Ollie Watkins either side of a Jonathan Rowe striker secured Unai Emery's side a big first-leg win, meaning they will return to Villa Park next week for the second leg with a comfortable advantage, allowing them to focus on the Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest this weekend.
But while the team turned in a relatively poor performance by their standards and still came away with the win, the players were not completely absolved of their showings, with one star in particular earning criticism from a famous fan.
Stan Collymore Blasts Morgan Rogers
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers celebrates scoring vs Man utd
Morgan Rogers was once again handed a start in the number ten role for the game, making it 41 starts for Aston Villa this season, plus a further four substitute appearances, extending his record as the player with the most minutes for the club this season.
His performances in those minutes have seen several top clubs linked with a move for his signature this summer, including Liverpool and Manchester United, who are not believed to be put off by his £100m asking price.
But against Bologna, the 23-year-old struggled to make an impact, as he has done in a number of games in recent times, which drew some criticism from the club's former striker Stan Collymore.
Writing on his X account, Collymore said:
"We need to have a conversation about Morgan [Rogers]," he wrote.
"Starting to look like a player who's "made it". He's played a lot of games already for Villa, so he gets a pass when it comes to fatigue, he's done a lot in a very short period. But... Flicks, losing it under no pressure, he "looks" and feels different. I hope it's not becoming a wanted man."
Aston Villa Can't Afford Rogers to Check Out
Morgan Rogers celebrates scoring for England
Villa have had a rollercoaster of a season, starting it very slowly with poor results, then finding themselves in a title race, before falling away, and now finding themselves in a battle to qualify for the Champions League next season.
But a lot of their hopes rely on their star man Rogers shining and pulling them through in difficult games. If he checks out, the team struggles to create, and they can't keep winning games they're not playing well in.
If he plays well, it makes a move away in the summer more likely. If he plays badly, the team suffers, and he still probably leaves anyway. Essentially, Aston Villa have a major £100m problem on their hands, and they have seven games to solve it and ensure their season isn't derailed by speculation.
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