Aston Villa: Unai Emery to hand Morgan Rogers full debut v Nottingham Forest in selection twist
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery may be set to hand Morgan Rogers his first Premier League start in claret and blue against Nottingham Forest, according to Alan Hutton.
Villa welcome Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to Villa Park on Saturday (24 February) looking to build on their important 2-1 win over Fulham last time out, where Ollie Watkins’ brace proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Emery has confirmed that his side have no new injury issues to deal with, despite the likes of Ezri Konsa, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos all remaining sidelined, so the Spaniard isn’t expected to make too many alterations to his squad.
However, Hutton expects Emery to make a couple of tweaks to his starting XI to freshen things up against Forest and admits it is possible Villa fans will get their first full look at Rogers since his January switch from Middlesbrough.
“It’s always possible that he brings Rogers in or somebody like that,” Hutton told Villa News.
“It depends on how fit the squad is. But he doesn’t make too many changes and you’d think about somebody like Diaby coming in or different things like that could happen.
“I think Tielemans came in and did really well, John McGinn obviously sitting that little bit deeper. He’s got some options.
“He could make one or two changes but I think that would be about it.”
Will Morgan Rogers start for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest?
Emery has never been the sort of manager to massively tinker with his side every week, but the Villa boss has never been afraid of making big calls when naming his squad, particularly in the advanced areas of the pitch.
The likes of Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby have been axed despite being in excellent form and costing a big fee in the past. Emery will be ruthless in rotating his wide options to ensure that his side are best prepared to claim all three points.
Rogers has made to impress from the bench so far in his Villa career, but a home match against one of the Premier League’s struggling sides may be the perfect opportunity to let the 21-year-old start from the off.
In other Aston Villa news, Hutton has suggested that teams are already “sniffing around” Ollie Watkins ahead of the summer transfer window
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