The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Morgan Rogers…
In a move befitting a soap opera more than a football pitch, Manchester City watched from the sidelines as former academy signing Morgan Rogers strutted ahead of their stars. With Phil Foden and Kyle Walker left benched, City fans might’ve wondered if they’d tuned into an alternative universe where Morgan Rogers – yes, the same Rogers whose City days fizzled, was now dazzling for England.
Transferred from West Brom in 2019 for a nifty £4m, Rogers was meant to be the next big thing, at least with a shiny FA Youth Cup winners’ medal to his name. However, the football fairy tale didn’t quite pan out as expected. Injuries and loan spells akin to a never-ending airport layover led Rogers away from City to Middlesbrough, with his hopes as dented as an old football.
Fast forward and Rodgers found his groove at Aston Villa, galloping on the Premier League and Champions League stage like a determined knight. He credits City’s misadventures with toughening him up for football’s cavalcade. So, while City might be nursing their reps in England’s line-up this week, there’s comfort in knowing Rogers turned into the £4m postscript they gambled on – in some sort of parallel universe style, at least!
