Rob Edwards has big Middlesbrough FC call to make - Morgan Rogers lightning hasn't struck twice | OneFootball

Boro were hoping lightning would strike twice after signing Morgan Rogers from Manchester City - so far, it hasn't.

The signing and subsequent sale of Morgan Rogers remains one of Middlesbrough's finest pieces of business in recent memory, and they hoped they'd emulate it with another Manchester City deal.

Change is in the air on Teesside this summer, and with that comes the opportunity for slates to be wiped clean, and fresh starts handed out.

Indeed, Rob Edwards has been tasked with returning Middlesbrough to genuine Premier League promotion contention in 2025/26, after back-to-back seasons of missing out on the Championship play-off party under Michael Carrick saw Boro chairman Steve Gibson swing the axe on the England and Manchester United legend.

However, it's clear that in order to do that, the former Luton Town boss is going to really need to stamp his authority on the playing squad this summer, and with a host of new signings expected, there will need to be some big decisions made regarding the futures of a number of fringe players.

Middlesbrough hit the jackpot with Morgan Rogers deal

Boro signed a then-20-year-old Rogers from City in the summer of 2023, in a deal understood to have set Middlesbrough back as little as £1m.

In fact, he wasn't to be the only home run signing the Teessiders would make that summer, with Emmanuel Latte Lath and Rav van den Berg also making moves to the Riverside.

Switching focus back to Rogers, it was a deal that presented as having a considerable amount of risk attached to it, as despite his Manchester City and England youth international pedigree, the young winger had failed to make a competitive first-team appearance for the Cityzens.

He did have experience of Championship football via loan spells with Bournemouth and Blackpool respectively, neither of which being overly fruitful in terms of goal contributions, as well as an excellent stint in League One with Lincoln City.

However, he still arrived on Teesside still very much needing to prove himself at second tier level, and didn't he just.

Despite starting only 14 of his 26 Championship appearances for Boro in 2023/24, he was still able to bag two goals and six assists in the first half of the campaign.

He would also grab five goals and two assists in the Carabao Cup, as Middlesbrough went all the way to the semi-final of the competition that year, before finally falling short to Chelsea over two legs despite beating them 1-0 at the Riverside in the first leg.

Rogers showcased his evident top-class potential on numerous occasions in a red and white shirt, with his powerful ball-carrying and dribbling combined with excellent technical ability manifesting in some superb goals and moments of individual brilliance.

His exploits hadn't gone unnoticed either, and a dream move back to the Premier League with Aston Villa soon presented itself in the 2024 January transfer window.

The Villains would seal his signature in a deal worth up to £16m, just six months after Rogers penned his contract with Middlesbrough.

Boro also have the potential to be bankrolled again thanks to him in the future, having inserted a 20 per cent sell-on clause in the deal that took him to Villa Park.

Micah Hamilton deal hasn't brought same success - Rob Edwards now has big Boro call to make on him

Clearly emboldened by their Rogers masterstroke, Middlesbrough returned to Manchester City with their wallets open the following summer.

Boro snagged themselves another wideman from the Premier League champions, and in Micah Hamilton, they found a player with a very similar profile to that of Rogers.

Also 20 at the time of his Teesside arrival, Hamilton was signed for a fee reported to have been worth around £2m, and the former England youth international - also like Rogers - penned a four-year contract at the Riverside.

"Micah is an exciting young player who we're looking forward to working with," Carrick said of his new signing at the time.

"He's already been in and around the senior side at Man City - he's got that experience from playing in the Champions League - and he is another great addition to the squad."

Indeed, the youngster scored for Pep Guardiola's side on his senior debut in the Champions League during the 23/24 season, clearly highlighting how much talent and potential he has.

As such, excitement levels among Middlesbrough fans were understandably very high over his capture, and comparisons were immediately and inevitably being made to Rogers' success with the club.

However, his debut campaign as a Boro player was highly underwhelming to say the least. After making 16 first-team appearances in the first half of the 24/25 season, Hamilton had failed to register a single goal or assist in red and white.

January arrived, and the decision was taken to send him out on loan to League One side Stockport County for the remainder of the season, but he'd really struggle to make an impact at Edgeley Park also.

No goals or assists in just five appearances for County sees him return to Teesside this summer firmly on the fringes of Boro's squad already, and with Edwards looking set to deploy a system that doesn't cater to wingers, his place and role under him doesn't appear immediately obvious whatsoever.

Therefore, with Edwards having signed a three-year contract to become Middlesbrough's new head coach, the club are clearly backing him to lead them into the future, and that could be bad news for Hamilton when it equates to his chances of writing his own Morgan Rogers-esque success story at Boro.

He looks to be a prime candidate for another loan, or perhaps even a permanent transfer away from the club already this summer.