- Morgan Rogers has opened up on Unai Emery’s treatment of him at Aston Villa
- Rogers says a comment from Emery inspired him to thrive at Villa
- Will Ruben Amorim be Man United’s saviour? LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Available wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes every Monday and Thursday
Morgan Rogers has revealed how a comment from Unai Emery inspired him to be a success at Aston Villa.
Rogers is now a star for Villa and also recently made his senior England debut against Greece.
However, he had to be patient to fully establish himself after joining Villa from Middlesbrough in February this year.
Rogers disclosed that Emery initially referred to him as a ‘Championship player’, indicating that he had to prove himself in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old has certainly risen to the challenge and has produced some excellent performances for Villa in the top flight.
As reported by The Mirror, Rogers said: ‘Unai didn’t love me at the start. That’s the way he manages, especially me. It was very much a case of tough love.
‘Early on, we had a conversation. He said: ‘Until you have proved yourself in the Premier League, you are still – in my eyes – a Championship player.’
‘That stuck with me and still does. Now, I get what he means – but at the time, you think: ‘That’s a bit harsh,’ but when I look back, I know what he was trying to do.
‘I was a Premier League player. I was on the bench or playing. But I wasn’t established – that’s what he meant – that I could be trusted in every game, 100 per cent.
Rogers stated that Emery was very specific in detailing which aspects of his game that he needed to work on.
He said: ‘He zeroed in on details he wanted me to improve upon and get better at. If he hadn’t, I’d have gone through the motions and it would have taken me longer to integrate.
‘He didn’t want any of that. He wanted me to instantly get it and understand it. I pride myself on knowing football, loving the game and knowing what he asked from me. It was hard to get used to the intensity of training and the level and I was trying to learn on the fly.’
Emery has certainly been impressed with the progress that Rogers has made, with the star having signed a new contract this week that is set to run until 2030.
