Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers provided the world with another reminder of his incredible quality with a brace against Manchester United recently.
Not only did the England international score both of Villa’s goals in a 2-1 win over the Red Devils, but the quality of both of the goals was astounding.
Rogers, as shown in the clip above, bent a brilliant shot into the top corner from distance for his first goal, before doing similar from just inside the box for the winner.
Why Morgan Rogers is more important than Ollie Watkins
Despite two goals off the bench to seal a win against Chelsea, Ollie Watkins is not the main man for the Villans anymore, after several seasons of being their main threat at the top end of the pitch.
The English striker hit double figures for goals in each of his first five seasons with Villa, per Sofascore, but he has only scored five goals in 25 matches so far this term.
Rogers, meanwhile, has already scored seven goals from an attacking midfield position, after an eye-catching return of 14 goals and 13 assists in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign.
25/26 Premier League
Morgan Rogers
Villa rank
xG
2.92
3rd
Goals
7
1st
xA
2.03
1st
Assists
3
1st
Big chances created
6
1st
Goals + assists
10
1st
Successful dribbles per game
1.2
1st
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the former Manchester City youngster has been Villa’s more influential attacking player, leading the team in almost every significant attacking metric.
This shows that he has become even more important to the team than Watkins, whose goalscoring powers are waning, because Rogers is now the main man for both goals and assists for Unai Emery.
Whilst the English playmaker has been in stunning form for the Villans in the Premier League, there is another Villa star who is on his way to becoming world-class.
The Aston Villa star who could be world-class
As well as Rogers, Boubacar Kamara’s performances in the middle of the park for the club suggest that he is on track to being one of the top players in his position in the division.
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Earlier this season, presenter and podcaster Dan Bardell claimed that the £150k-per-week midfielder “can become truly world class” if he can stay fit, because he is “turning into a top bracket player”.
It is easy to understand why Bardell believes that Kamara has the potential to be a world-class talent, because the Frenchman has all the attributes needed to be a complete midfielder.
The 26-year-old star, who is heading into the prime years of his career, has played 16 times in the Premier League so far, which shows that he has stayed fit, and has delivered quality performances in the middle of the park.
25/26 Premier League
Kamara
Rank vs DMs
Assists
3
Top 7%
Pass accuracy
88%
Top 29%
Successful dribbles
12
Top 11%
Fouls won
27
Top 4%
Duels won
100
Top 4%
Aerial duel success rate
66%
Top 12%
Duel success rate
58%
Top 20%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, Kamara can do a bit of everything, to a high level, in midfield for the Villans, ranking highly among his positional peers in a host of key metrics.
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Need a midfielder who can create a chance? He can do that. Need a midfielder to dribble the ball up the pitch? He can do that. Need a midfielder who can keep hold of the ball? He can do that. Need a midfield destroyer to disrupt the opposition? He is that.
Kamara has only scored one goal in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, but it was a stunning strike from distance with his left foot, as shown in the clip above, which shows what he is capable of at his best.
If the midfield star can continue to excel as a creator, a dribbler, a passer, and as a dueller, whilst adding more goals to his game, he could easily enter into conversations with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Declan Rice, and Rodri as one of the world-class midfielders in the division.
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World-class is, of course, a subjective descriptor, but if Kamara goes on to excel in virtually every important aspect of a midfielder’s job, he will surely be deemed to be a world-class operator.