Unai Emery handed last-minute boost at Aston Villa as Morgan Rogers injury update emerges
Aston Villa may not have booked their place in the Champions League as they drew with Liverpool, but qualification is in their hands.
Unai Emery’s side managed to pull off a remarkable comeback to draw 3-3 at Villa Park on Monday (13 May) with a second-half brace from Jhon Duran ensuring the Villans are 90 minutes from a top-four finish.
While it could all be decided by Tottenham if they lose to Manchester City on Tuesday (14 May) a win over Crystal Palace on the final day of the season would ensure Villa’s qualification and Emery could be boosted by the return of Morgan Rogers.
As quoted by Birmingham Live on Tuesday (14 May) he said: “Today was impossible for him to be available. Maybe for Sunday with some days to come, he can try to be available, but I don’t know exactly.”
Will Morgan Rogers play for Aston Villa and Unai Emery v Crystal Palace?
Rogers only joined the ranks at Villa Park in the January transfer window from Middlesbrough, but the 21-year-old has had an exceptional start under Emery, scoring three goals and laying on one assist in just eight starts, according to Fotmob.
The 21-year-old’s last full 90 minutes came in Villa’s draw with Chelsea, where he scored one of the home side’s two goals finding the net with his only attempt on goal which possessed an xG of just 0.06.
While most of the plaudits handed to the young winger were for his finish, he was just as effective creatively, completing 67 per cent of his 24 attempted passes and fashioning three scoring chances for his teammates.
Rogers isn’t afraid to mix it up when the ball is at his feet either and he showed his excellent range of passing against Mauricio Pochettinho’s side as he found a teammate in claret and blue with 100 per cent of his long-range efforts.
Similarly, in the Villans clash with Bournemouth in April, the former Middlesbrough man demonstrated his quality when running with the ball as completed 67 per cent of his three attempted dribbles and played seven passes into the final third.
The 21-year-old may not have been in the Premier League for long, but he has already become one of the division’s best dribbles.
When compared to other wingers, he sits in the 89th percentile for successful take-ons made per game, with an average of 2.4 every 90 minutes, according to Fbref.
On average, he has only been tackled in 36.4 per cent of his attempted take-ons since his arrival in January, a figure which places him in the top 12 per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League.
Rogers hasn’t been afraid to get stuck in, out of possession as well to try and help Emery’s side. He places in the 91st percentile for passes blocked per game and the 91st for clearances made every 90 minutes.
Will Villa and Unai Emery qualify for the Champions League ahead of Tottenham?
While Villa faired well without the 21-year-old on Monday, it will massively boost their chances of finishing in the Champions League places if Rogers is fit to feature from the off against Palace.
Hopefully, Emery will be able to call upon the former Middlesbrough man and finish the season on a high because he has been one of the shining lights of an incredible campaign under the Spaniard.
In other Aston Villa news, Gary Neville has slammed Diego Carlos for a “shocker” of an incident in the draw with Liverpool
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