Morgan Rogers boosts Rogers England case before Croatia opener
Morgan Rogers has featured in most of Thomas Tuchel’s England matches, and the 23-year-old heads into rogers england’s World Cup campaign with a real claim on more minutes. England were due to start against Croatia on Wednesday in Texas, with Jude Bellingham standing in the way of a place in the XI.
Tuchel’s England and Rogers
Rogers has become a mainstay of Tuchel’s England team after moving from grassroots football in Halesowen to the squad in Texas. He is an Aston Villa and England footballer now, but the route to this point runs through West Brom’s academy and a spell in which he was playing above his age group.
That climb fits the way he talks about the game. Rogers said his family were football fans, and he described himself as “a bit of a geek” about learning players, teams and little details. Those habits have carried into the senior setup, where he has already been involved in most of Tuchel’s matches.
West Brom with Darren Moore
At West Brom, Darren Moore first came across Rogers when he was with the under-14s. Moore said: “Every time in football training or games, he would always work hard, express himself and want to absorb all the information that was given to him”.
Rogers also moved up to the under-18s at times because he was so advanced for his years. He said playing against bigger, older, quicker kids pushed him to improve, and later added: “If you're always being pushed and always being challenged, you're always going to improve and that's the thing I take from when I was younger”.
Croatia and Bellingham
The immediate issue for England is where Rogers fits against Croatia. He has been used often by Tuchel, but Bellingham’s presence means the competition for a starting role is tight, and that makes every selection decision around him more relevant than a simple squad update.
For a player who has gone from a grassroots team in Halesowen to England’s World Cup group, the next step is straightforward: keep the place in Tuchel’s thinking and turn those appearances into a start. His path has already shown how quickly he can move when challenged, and England are now asking for that same rise on the biggest stage.
