Pep Guardiola admits Man City let 'exceptional' talent go ahead of Aston Villa (2025)

Morgan Rogers will come up against his former club Manchester City on Tuesday night as he looks to plot their downfall with Aston Villa in a game that will be crucial for Champions League qualification

Pep Guardiola has hailed "exceptional" Morgan Rogers ahead of Manchester City's clash against Aston Villa on Tuesday night, as he admitted he could see huge potential in the winger when he was at the Etihad. Rogers has been one of the brightest talents in the Premier League this season after scoring and assisting eight times to become one of Villa's key players.

Rogers' form has helped maintain Villa's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for a second straight season after going on a superb run of one goal and four assists in as many games.

The 22-year-old signed for Manchester City in 2019 but never made a senior appearance for the first team, only featuring for their youth teams. He was loaned out three times before eventually signing for Middlesbrough in 2023.

His bright displays on Teesside earned him an £15million move to Villa Park where he has gone from strength to strength - earning his first England cap last year and now he is bidding to plot the downfall of his former side.

Villa are going head-to-head with City for a Champions League spot - with fifth place enough for a spot in Europe's elite. Villa are seventh but just two points off Guardiola's side in fifth.

Guardiola acknowledged Rogers' "exceptional" ability after watching him in action when he was a City player and felt he had huge potential before the club decided to sell him. Rogers scored and assisted against City in the 2-1 reverse at Villa Park in December and the Sky Blues will be aware of his qualities - not least Guardiola.

"He was in the second team here and trained sometimes with us," the Spaniard said. "We could see something, that he could do it, but the impact he’s had in Villa - what a player. We had an exceptional player here, absolutely."

Rogers certainly won't have any regrets about the way things panned out for him after flourishing under Emery's guidance. Earlier this year he was left raving about the former Arsenal and Villarreal coach's influence on him this season - both technically and mentally.

"He's so demanding," Rogers said of Emery in February. "Any little thing he'll be on you for and the way he is, the detail he goes into, how much he loves the game, how much he wants to win, it rubs off on us. That's what he wants us to do, we're a product of him and the way he is.

Rogers said of Emery in February: "He's improved me in so many different areas, but mainly about my mindset, about carrying on and doing what I'm good at, even if it doesn't work and just to keep going.

"He's so positive. He might not always come across that way in the way he is, but he always wants the best for everyone and the team and ultimately, if you know that and you buy into it, you're going to get results. There's no way you don't.

"He's such a good manager and a perfect person for me to get that next push. The good thing about him is because I've done well, he's not going to stop me. He's probably going to go even harder on me in terms of trying to get me to be better, so I'm looking forward to carrying on working with him for many years to come."

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