Troy Deeney couldn’t be more wrong as ‘concerns’ raised over Aston Villa star
Troy Deeney is still not fully convinced that Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers will be able to handle the pressure of being an England starter in the 2026 World Cup.
Rogers has been fantastic for Villa recently and has arguably carried the Villans through some difficult fixtures during this incredible run of wins.
There has been lots of talk about Rogers’ World Cup competition with Jude Bellingham for an England starting spot, as the Villa man keeps on impressing.
Thomas Tuchel seems to favour Unai Emery‘s star player at the moment, which makes Deeney‘s claim seem all the more baffling.
Troy Deeney thinks Morgan Rogers will be intimidated by big England names
While writing in his column for The Sun’s print edition on Saturday, Deeney raised his worries for England, suggesting that Rogers may not be the man to start in important knockout games.
Deeney wrote: “[Rogers] has inspired the incredible run Villa are on and is in contention to start for England at the World Cup next summer.
“Rogers is a wonderful player. But, if I were Thomas Tuchel, I would still have concerns over the pressure we would put on him if he started in a big knockout game with Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer watching from the bench.”
England beat Wales 3-0 in October, where Rogers found the back of the net to help the Three Lions to claim bragging rights in the friendly.
Rogers showed his capabilities to perform for his country in a relatively important game for Tuchel, and impressed once more during England’s last couple of games.
- England beat both Serbia and Albania 2-0 during the November international break
- Rogers started in the win against Serbia, and came off the bench versus Albania
- Against Serbia, He made four passes into the final third and completed 84% of his pass attempts
It makes Deeney’s comments even more strange considering he was actually positive about Villa, even admitting how impressed he has been with what Emery’s side has done, despite his love for Birmingham.
Rogers starred in Aston Villa’s biggest win of the season
Aston Villa are genuine contenders for the Premier League title now, and anything seems possible under Emery.
Emery coached Villa to a 2-1 win over Arsenal at Villa Park earlier in December, handing the league leaders just their second loss of the season.
Once again, the attacking midfielder proved his worth, completing an astonishing five dribbles against one of the best teams in the world.
Rogers was central to Villa’s biggest win of the season over the Gunners, and is showing that Tuchel has every right to start the 23-year-old at the World Cup.
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