Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Fri 10 April 2026 19:10, UK

Unai Emery may have to be wary of not overplaying Morgan Rogers, even if he allegedly wants to leave Aston Villa this summer.

Villa are in a strong position to reach the Europa League semi-finals after beating Bologna 3-1 in Italy in the first leg of their last eight clash on Thursday.

Rogers started in that victory at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara but didn’t put in his best display, with the attacking midfielder looking leggy as the game wore on.

The England international reportedly wants to leave Villa Park this summer, amid reported interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Rogers’ form for Villa has arguably dropped off once again, but perhaps the sheer amount of games he is playing is a factor.

Morgan Rogers tired or checked out?

Villa snapped up Rogers from Middlesbrough in February 2024 for a fee that could rise to £15million.

Since then, he has played 115 times for the club, scoring 27 goals and adding 24 assists in all competitions. Rogers was eased in early on at Villa, before enjoying a purple patch in April 2024.

But the 23-year-old has barely been out of the team for the past two seasons. He is closing in on the 50-appearance mark this term, and last season, Rogers racked up 54 matches.

The England ace hit 30 goal contributions in 2024-25 as Villa narrowly missed out on Champions League football, while making it to the quarter-finals of last year’s competition.

Questions about his attitude have sprung up this season, particularly early on when he failed to score in Villa’s opening five league matches, as they languished in the relegation zone.

As the season heads into the final straight, is it fair to ask whether Rogers is running out of steam?

Aston Villa Statto points out on X that he is among a select few players in Europe to hit, or are about to hit, 100 games since the start of last season, as Villa prepare to face Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

If he is burnt out, perhaps Emery needs to take him out of the firing line and give him a bit of a rest. After all, he hasn’t scored in the league since early February – seven matches ago.

Emery may not want to leave him out but perhaps a breather is what is needed to get him going again. If it is an attitude problem, that is a different and more troubling matter.

Aston Villa eye double prize

With Villa one step away from making the Europa League semi-finals, fans may start dreaming about winning in Europe for the first time since the Intertoto Cup in 2001.

Moreover, they sit fourth in the Premier League, with a five-point buffer over fifth-placed Liverpool – who occupy the last Champions League qualification spot.

Next up, they travel to lowly Forest, hoping to leapfrog Manchester United into third in the division with six games to go.

Villa are looking to complete the league double over Forest for the first time since 2017-18, and for the first time in the Premier League since 1992-93.

They have won two in a row against their Midlands neighbours but Forest have won their last two home league games against Villa, last securing three on the spin against them between 1977 and 1979.

Whether Rogers is rested or not by Emery remains to be seen after an underwhelming display against Bologna. In that game, he progressed the ball just 13.4 metres, lost possession nine times, was successful with two out of six dribbles, and won four of his 13 ground duels.

Decisions, decisions for Emery.