GOAL's Unpopular Opinion: Cristiano Ronaldo-esque Morgan Rogers must start ahead of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer for England to win the 2026 World Cup

After a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Sunderland side at the Stadium of Light on September 21, Aston Villa were languishing in the relegation zone and questions were being asked over Unai Emery's position as manager. The Villans finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in Emery's first two full seasons at the helm, but were winless after the opening five games of the 2025-26 campaign with only one goal on their record.

Fast-forward three months, though, and Villa have miraculously transformed into title contenders, winning 10 of their 11 games since that ill-fated trip to Wearside. Emery's men are now just three points behind leaders Arsenal in third, with their latest victory coming away at West Ham in dramatic circumstances.

Villa went in at half-time 2-1 down, before Morgan Rogers stepped up to turn the tide. The 23-year-old, who failed to make the grade at Manchester City at the start of his career, scored twice to complete a 3-2 comeback win for the visitors. The second was a Goal of the Season contender, too, as Rogers produced a thunderbolt from 25 yards out that flew past helpless Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

It wasn't a one-off display either. Rogers is up to eight goal involvements in 16 Premier League appearances this term, and has been the driving force behind Villa's remarkable surge up the table.

Thomas Tuchel has taken note, making Rogers a regular in his England line up, but he must go a step further. It may be an unpopular opinion given Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are all vying for the role, but Rogers must be guaranteed the No.10 slot if the Three Lions are to end 60 years of hurt at next summer's World Cup.

Getty Images Sport'Great player'

Rogers scooped the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2024-25 after registering eight goals and 10 assists for Villa, but was one of the players who faced the most criticism for the club's tough start this term. He was even subjected to sarcastic cheers from home fans after completing a pass in Villa's first win of the season against Bologna in the Europa League, and gave an honest assessment of his struggles in an interview with .

"I might have been a surprise package last year, but now people know about me and they know about my game," he said. "They try to stop me and now it's about how I can progress to the next level and combat that. Good players still get found out when they don't try to improve and get better."

That refreshingly mature outlook is one of the key reasons for the midfielder's swift revival. Rogers has embraced extra responsibility to reach the next level at Villa Park, even filling in as a left winger and striker when required. Rogers' decision-making in the final third has improved, and he's making himself available to receive the ball between the lines, where he can cause maximum damage, more often than any other player in the league – per .

It's an evolution that has earned Rogers a new contract and glowing words of praise from Emery, who told reporters at the weekend: "The most important thing is how he is working, tactically and being versatile. He is now scoring goals and he is being brilliant. He always was playing, doing his work and with a huge commitment in everything. Then, the goals are coming. He is feeling better and better. He is growing up so quickly and performing better. He is a really fantastic guy. His physical capacity is really huge. He is a great player with the mentality he has to explain everything he is doing and to show everything he is doing."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMastering the knuckleball

Rogers is primarily known for his powerful ball-carrying and close control, but is also now developing a reputation as a long-range shooting specialist. He found the net with another rocket at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October, and produced an unstoppable variation of the 'knuckleball' free-kick in Villa's 2-1 at Leeds United the following month.

Striking the ball so true from dead centre is a technique few players have mastered, with a short, sharp follow-through to create a dipping motion that catches goalkeepers off guard. It was first made famous in the Premier League by a certain Manchester United legend, as Theo Walcott observed when waxing lyrical about Rogers' performance against West Ham.

The former Arsenal winger said on 'Match of the Day': "You think of [Cristiano] Ronaldo and how, if you give them time and space on the ball when they shoot from distance you are in trouble, they are able to manipulate the ball the way they want to. Rogers is able to do that."

Walcott went on to make a bold prediction about Rogers' 2026 international prospects: "For me, he is not just going to be in the squad – he is a dead cert to be a starter for England at the World Cup – 100 per cent. He does everything, he's not just a goal threat. I like all [the contenders for the number 10 position], but one of them is going to have to miss out on the squad itself – and Rogers, for me, has to start. He is such an intelligent player, he's the kind of player that recognises a weakness in the structure of the team."

Getty ImagesWinning Tuchel's trust

Rogers has been close to a "dead cert" for England since Tuchel's appointment at the start of the year, starting six of the German's first 10 games at the helm. He also benefitted from Bellingham's injury-enforced absence between August and October, starting behind Harry Kane in 5-0 away routs of Serbia and Latvia in World Cup qualifying, and a 3-0 friendly victory over Wales.

The West Brom academy graduate scored his first goal for England in the Wales game, producing a smart first-time finish from a tight angle, but his playmaking qualities shone through most against Serbia as he made five key passes, including an assist for Noni Madueke, and completed more dribbles than anyone else on the pitch. Even more crucially, he won Tuchel's trust while Bellingham was still making his way back to full fitness.

As a result, when Bellingham finally returned to the England fold in the November international break, he did not walk straight back into Tuchel's line up. Rogers was the first-choice No.10 once again for the Three Lions' 2-0 home win against Serbia, with Bellingham restricted to a 25-minute cameo at Wembley.

"Rather than finding the best players a position to just have them on the field, it’s maybe better to put everyone in their best position and have a competition. At the moment, the competition is between the two of them. They are friends so it can also be a friendly competition," Tuchel said before the game. "Can they play together? Yes, but in a different structure and at the moment it’s not the moment to change our structure."

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Getty/GOALBetter fit than Bellingham

Bellingham started ahead of Rogers in England's final World Cup qualifier against Albania, but Tuchel said that was just a "rest" for the Villa talisman and that he did not "deserve" to be among the substitutes. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss has repeatedly suggested that he will put building a fully functioning team ahead of any sentiment for household names, which is good news for Rogers in his battle against the Real Madrid superstar.

Despite being a year older, Rogers is still relatively inexperienced compared to Bellingham, who exudes authority and has a strong track record for coming up clutch in vital moments for club and country. He's more of a natural leader than Rogers, offers a similar goal threat, and is equally as strong from a physical standpoint.

But the simple fact is that Rogers is a better fit for Tuchel's system. Bellingham is a maverick who wants to be everywhere at once; he thrives when given license to express himself, not when he's required to help the team play in a more structured rhythm. 

Tuchel has explained the importance of "discipline" in the No.10 slot, and Rogers brings that. You won't see him wandering out of position and getting in the way of Elliot Anderson when he's trying to dictate the tempo or inadvertently reducing the amount of space for the likes of Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon out wide by constantly chasing the ball.

Rogers' main focus is to bring the best out of Kane and provide the fluidity and pace in the final third that Tuchel craves. He will run beyond Kane in and out of possession, leading the press and freeing up room for the Bayern Munich striker to be more involved in the build-up play. Whereas Bellingham can resemble a headless chicken when trying too hard to make an impression, Rogers channels his energy and aggression smartly to make the Three Lions a more direct side capable of overwhelming any opponent.