Middlesbrough FC receive unexpected Morgan Rogers boost as Aston Villa form recognised | OneFootball

The ex-Boro player has been called up to the men's first-team squad.

Middlesbrough are set to receive a financial boost following former player Morgan Rogers being called up to the England squad.

Players pulling out of international duty to prioritise their fitness and health is a newer phenomenon in football; one that frustrates some, but also comes as a benefit to others.

In total, eight of the players that England's interim men's first team manager, Lee Carsley, picked to be part of his squad for the current international break have withdrawn themselves from the squad.

While losing players of the quality of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka - to name most of them - diminishes the talent of the team that Carsley can pick, it, in turn, opens up opportunities for others.

Rogers, who played for Boro until the end of the last January transfer window when he was bought by Aston Villa for an initial £8 million, with the potential for an extra £7 million to come in on top of that later down the road in the form of add-ons, according to The Athletic.

Part of that extra cash is expected to head to the Riverside soon after Rogers received his call-up.

Middlesbrough to benefit from Morgan Rogers' England call-up

Michael Carrick's side are set to receive a cash payment from Villa after the 22-year-old's selection by England triggered a clause in the deal that was agreed between the two sides at the start of the year, according to the Northern Echo.

This honour may have come as a bit of a surprise for the player himself, after not initially being included in the original squad, but his former boss was fully expecting this to happen.

"If he keeps doing the right things, for sure," said Carrick, as per the Echo, when he was asked earlier in the season about the potential chance of Rogers playing in the England first-team at some point.

"I do think that to get in the England squad you have to earn that over time and he’s certainly on track to take that next step as long as he keeps doing the right things. And, at the moment, he’s doing just great."

The Boro boss wasn't being hyperbolic with his praise of the Manchester City academy product, who Boro acquired for £1 million from the reigning Premier League champions in July 2023, as per Sky Sports.

Rogers has accrued six direct goal contributions (goals or assists) this season - five in the league, one in the Champions League.

Even though these aren't competition-leading numbers, the performances that he put in against the likes of Arsenal, for example, really caught the attention of those who weren't already aware of his talents.

He has been one of the attacking driving forces for a Villa side that are looking to quality for Europe's top club competition again this season, having done so in the previous campaign for the first time since its rebranding in 1992. Boro received a financial bonus for that too, as per the Echo.

England call-ups are a great representation of the EFL

Of the five players called up to replace the eight that pulled out of the Three Lions' squad for the November international break, four of them have previously been, or are currently, permanently contracted to an EFL side: Rogers, Jarrad Branthwaite (Carlisle United), Jarrob Bowen (Hull City) and James Trafford (Burnley).

Not only is it good to see that players from the EFL are making their way up the football pyramid and are now representing their country, but it's also leading to financial benefits for those teams who helped to develop this generation of English men's football.