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| Morgan Rogers inspired Aston Villa to a 2-1 win over Manchester City (Picture: Getty) |
Pep Guardiola says it’s ‘obvious’ Manchester City would love to have a player of Morgan Rogers’ quality during their current crisis – but fierce competition for places blocked the youngster’s path at the Etihad.
Rogers left City for Middlesbrough in search of regular playing time last year and the 22-year-old has gone on to establish himself as one of the finest young players in Premier League football under Unai Emery’s guidance at Aston Villa.
This afternoon, Rogers was the star of the show as City’s crisis deepened, with the attacking midfielder assisting Jhon Duran’s opener before doubling Villa’s lead in a 2-1 victory.
Phil Foden’s stoppage-time strike proved too little, too late as City suffered a ninth defeat in 12 games and the result saw Villa leapfrog Guardiola’s side into fifth place in the table.
City are now nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand over the champions ahead of their trip to Tottenham tomorrow afternoon.
Shortly after the full-time whistle, former City goalkeeper Shay Given was among those to criticise the club’s decision to allow a player of Rogers’ undoubted ability leave.
But Guardiola defended the call at his post-match press conference, underlining just how many established players Rogers had in front of him, from Kevin De Bruyne to Bernardo Silva.
Do you know what happened with some players? It was a team that won the treble and the quadruple. Sometimes it’s the right tempo, the right time to give the chance,’ the City head coach told reporters.
‘Of course, everyone knows how good Morgan is. A lot of players went on loan or have been sold.
‘But he was in that age, that moment, we had the players that we had that allowed us to create the most successful years in the history of our club.
‘In that moment, sometimes when they arrive they are two, three years younger and at that moment there is Kevin in his prime, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling and sometimes it’s difficult. That’s the only reason why.
‘In the situation we are in right now, of course these kinds of players would be with us. This is obvious.
‘I’m happy for him because he’s a lovely guy. He exploded last season and this season he’s a really, really top-class player. England have another exceptional player.’
In his post-match interview with TNT Sports, Rogers pointed to Villa’s counter-attacking prowess as a major factor in Villa’s win.
‘It felt tougher than it probably looked. They make you work and it is so demanding out of possession,’ he said.
- Tom Olver
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