Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Fri 1 May 2026 17:10, UK

Morgan Rogers has been increasingly poor for Aston Villa recently, and England will take notice.

The attacking midfielder has been the go-to man for inspiration at Villa Park in the past two seasons, but hasn’t been at his best since the turn of the year.

That has seen him score just two Premier League goals in four months of action in claret and blue.

His poor form continued as the Villans travelled to the City Ground for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.

Rogers was shocking against Nottingham Forest, to the point where Stan Collymore is genuinely fearing for his England squad spot.

Morgan Rogers under fire from Stan Collymore

There has been so much hype surrounding the 23-year-old that it was always going to be hard for him to continue his electric form.

That has seemingly impacted him, and his goal output has seriously dropped off, negatively impacting his tally for the campaign.

His performances aren’t going to go down well with Thomas Tuchel, especially after he seemed like a nailed-on starter for the upcoming World Cup.

That doesn’t look to be so certain now, especially after a dismal showing in a high-pressure environment at the City Ground.

Collymore watched his former sides face off and was left frustrated by what he saw from Villa’s number 27 in the East Midlands.

Taking to X, he said: “Rogers. Gets on the plane but playing himself off it week by week. No chance he starts ahead of [Jude] Bellingham.”

That is certainly damning for the attacker, with Villa’s defeat away to Nottingham Forest not painting a good picture.

Rogers was shocking for Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest

Some people may have a problem with what Collymore has said, but unfortunately, no one can truly argue that he is wrong.

Rogers is supposed to be the talisman for Unai Emery, but that certainly wasn’t the case in the Europa League crunch match.

The forward may have taken the most shots on the pitch with four, but with only one of those on target, it doesn’t paint a great picture.

That isn’t helped by him maintaining a zero per cent cross accuracy, while being dispossessed once at the City Ground.

He also lost five duels and committed three fouls, failing to make any positive impact in either direction.

Collymore got it right, and there is only one way Rogers can prove the ex-striker wrong: by dominating the second leg and sending Villa to the final.