Aston Villa have gone from strength to strength under Spanish boss Unai Emery in recent years, being taken from Premier League relegation candidates to Champions League qualifiers.

Typically one of the bigger teams in England, there were years of struggle at Villa Park, including a 2015/16 campaign that saw them pick up just 17 points in the Premier League.

It’s been a slow climb back to playing European football, and ultimately having some of the best players in the league, but Unai Emery appears to have gotten the best out of his players.

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Last season was arguably Villa’s best squad in a long while, with stars such as Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Emiliano Martinez all shining in the West Midlands under Emery’s tutelage.

But former midfielder Gareth Barry has waxed lyrical over Morgan Rogers, describing his development as ‘phenomenal’.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Morgan Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough in January 2024, and slowly worked his way from loan spells in England’s second and third tiers to a permanent spot in Michael Carrick’s side.

Rogers perhaps wasn’t quite the type of signing that Villa were expected to make...