Morgan Rogers backed for World Cup nod with Cole Palmer ‘set to miss out’
Morgan Rogers is expected to be in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup as the Aston Villa star continues to feature for the German.
England beat Serbia 2-0 on Thursday, with Rogers impressing from the off before he was substituted in the 65th minute.
The 23-year-old started Sunday’s win over Albania on the bench, but was brought on in the closing minutes to continue his streak of appearing in every England game under Tuchel.
Rogers is expected to be dropped for Jude Bellingham at the World Cup, but the German appears to have favoured the Aston Villa man so far.
It has been suggested that Bellingham is feeling the pressure from Rogers in the England team, as evidenced by the Real Madrid midfielder’s frustrated reaction to being substituted.
Morgan Rogers ‘just about holds it at the moment’
Rogers started the season woefully for Villa, looking just a shadow of the midfielder who shocked the Premier League last season.
But in recent weeks, the 23-year-old has once again found his feet, and as he has resurged, so have Villa.
His form for England never took the same blow, however, with Rogers consistently performing under Tuchel on the international stage.
| Morgan Rogers | Vs Serbia |
| Minutes played | 65 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 16/19 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Duels won | 1/8 |
So much so that the former Middlesbrough man appears to have already secured his seat on the plane for next year’s World Cup.
Competition will remain high, however, with Bellingham and Phil Foden back in form, while Cole Palmer is yet to return from injury.
Speaking about the pecking order at the head of the midfield for England currently, Adrian Durham told talkSPORT on Monday: “I would say Morgan Rogers just about holds it at the moment.
“Me personally, I would prefer Jude Bellingham to have the shirt. I think he’s a far better player. I love Morgan Rogers; he hasn’t done anything wrong. I think Cole Palmer is struggling to get on the plane, to be honest, I’ve thought this for a while now.
“He’s played 64 minutes under Thomas Tuchel, and he was terrible, as was everyone else in the 1-0 win away against Andorra.
“That’s all Thomas Tuchel’s seen of him. If it’s picked tomorrow, the squad, Cole Palmer doesn’t get in.“
Thomas Tuchel issues Rogers challenge
Speaking before Thursday’s match against Serbia, Tuchel made his intentions with the number 10 position clear.
“Rather than finding the best players a position to just have them on the field, it’s maybe better to put everyone in their best position and have a competition. At the moment, the competition is between the two of them,” the German said on Bellingham and Rogers.
The gauntlet has been thrown down, with Palmer appearing on the outskirts of the conversation. Rogers must now seize his opportunity, with a World Cup role up for grabs.
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