Aston Villa star has shared his experience of making his World Cup debut in England’s opener despite having to come off the bench.
Aston Villa key man, who has been in the headlines over his transfer rumours and his ‘rivalry’ in the Three Lions camp, Morgan Rogers, appeared to remain positive despite his not-so-satisfactory World Cup debut. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder eventually did not get the nod to start the game.
Rogers shared his feelings on making his World Cup debut in general, as reported by Birmingham Mail.
“I’m honoured to be here and I wanted to be here to play any part that I can to get on the pitch and to try to give my all and give my version of what that looks like as a player. I think that’s the most important thing, to try to add to the team in any way, shape or form to try to get wins.
“I’ve made my debut in a World Cup, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of and always wanted to achieve. It’s a really nice feeling to get on the pitch and contribute any way I can.”
Regarding the fact that he missed out on the starting XI, with Jude Bellingham preferred ahead of him, the Aston Villa man explained how it felt for him.
“Of course, I’m disappointed, I want to play every game. Everyone wants to play. Every sub would say the same thing.”
Nevertheless, he played down any potential internal conflict between them. Rogers respects his teammate as he is currently one of the stars of the Three Lions.
“But Jude is one of the best players in the world, I know that. If we’re going to do well in this tournament, he’s going to have to be at the forefront of it.”
Apparently, he realises that his role in the team for now is to make a difference from the bench. The Halesowen-born midfielder continued his comments below.
“I have to understand my role, that if I’m on the bench and the manager asks me to do a role and come on and impact the game, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
So, how impactful was Morgan Rogers in the opener? He came off the bench in the 71st minute, replacing Declan Rice last night. He entered the pitch at the same time as Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford. While the latter two were involved in the fourth goal that killed the game against Croatia, Rogers’ performance was simply decent.
He made two key passes out of seven passes in the game, plus one through ball. The former Middlesbrough man also contributed quite well defensively with one tackle and one clearance.
In fact, he did play together with Jude Bellingham for around six minutes, switching roles as a deeper central midfielder instead of the number 10 role, which was given to Rogers. Apparently, Tuchel does not see the urgency of playing them together yet, as it would mean sacrificing either Elliot Anderson or Declan Rice in midfield or changing the formation.
Nevertheless, Rogers would need to prove his worth as the tournament progresses. He could still make the difference from the bench and perhaps push the German manager to consider playing him alongside Bellingham or giving him a nod in the starting line-up. Who knows, the 23-year-old midfielder could be like David Platt in Italy 1990, as he only sealed his spot in the final three games.
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