Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Thu 2 April 2026 19:10, UK

Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers is set to continue benefiting more than most following the returns of John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.

The attacking midfielder has struggled for form since the turn of the year, after a world-class run over the festive period.

Failing to register a goal contribution since Villa’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in February, the England international’s dip in form coincided with that of his side’s.

Following a four-match winless run in the league, the Villans finally got back to winning ways on the eve of the international break to put their Champions League charge back on track.

At the same time, both McGinn and Tielemans racked up minutes on the field, and it is clear to see that Rogers is the biggest beneficiary within Unai Emery’s ranks.

Morgan Rogers carried Aston Villa creative burden during double absence

Villa have been hit hard with injuries since the turn of the year, with midfielder Boubacar Kamara also sidelined until the end of the season.

McGinn and Tielemans would both be ruled out from January, while Villa’s form continued to dip during their absence.

While the pair were sidelined, Rogers carried much of the creative burden on his shoulders, while Emery was left without a real controller in midfield, and the non-stop energy and drive of McGinn.

Villa hit rock bottom at the end of February, with a 2-0 loss to bottom-dwellers Wolves, followed by a 4-1 loss to Chelsea in early March.

During the first loss, the attacking midfielder was constantly crowded out and surrounded, while the limited threat coming from out wide meant that Wolves only had one task – stop Rogers.

The Villans were ponderous and slow, while the game’s relative lack of tempo saw Rogers progress the ball just 37.8 metres over the 90. A similar situation would happen against Chelsea, with the 23-year-old squandering possession 19 times.

With no control in the middle of the park, and little to no impact out wide, Villa were often left looking towards Rogers for inspiration, who was simply unable to force anything as the main man in the team.

Now, with McGinn and Tielemans back in action, it would not be a coincidence to see the England man begin to hit the heights of his run over the festive period.

Double Aston Villa return is huge for Morgan Rogers

Comparing Rogers’ performances against Wolves and Chelsea with his more recent outings against Manchester United and West Ham is like chalk and cheese – the returning duo makes a big difference.

Scotsman McGinn is someone who provides non-stop energy, no matter where he is fielded.

Often operating out on the right under Emery, the 31-year-old’s unique dribbling style makes him incredibly difficult to steal the ball from, while his ability to drive with the ball from deeper areas adds a whole new dimension of threat in comparison to the rather uninspiring possession seen across the poor run – helping take the burden off the shoulders of Rogers.

While not as agile and physically dominant as Rogers and McGinn, Tielemans brings a big impact of his own.

With 72.98 touches per 90 minutes, a near 86 per cent pass completion, 2.3 accurate long balls and 1.63 key passes, Tielemans is simply everywhere for Villa.

Meanwhile, his 2.09 tackles and 8.13 duels per 90 make him incredibly vital out of possession too.

In Tielemans and McGinn, Emery has a whole new dimension of threat to his side when in possession, allocating much more space and freedom to Rogers. And as seen against West Ham, if one is tightly guarded, there stands a chance that one of the others can find themselves in space.

Looking at the aforementioned carrying distance of Rogers, he almost doubled this number against West Ham, progressing the ball 72.6m compared to the previously detailed 37.8,m.

The midfielder can eat up ground better than most in the division, though this requires space to operate in – space that simply was not handed to him with two of Villa’s main men out on the sidelines.

Moving forward, it would not be surprising to see Rogers begin hitting his fantastic heights once again.