Michael Carrick admits rise of Morgan Rogers has surprised him after selling England star to Aston Villa | OneFootball

Michael Carrick has admitted he has been surprised at the heights Morgan Rogers has reached since he sold him when he was Middlesbrough manager.

Manchester United manager Carrick comes up against Rogers on Sunday when Aston Villa visit Old Trafford.

Carrick played a part in the winger’s rise, signing him from Manchester City for £2m and selling him a year later for £15m.

Rogers has gone on to be named Villa’s player of the year for last season and win 12 England caps, even keeping Jude Bellingham out of the team, and achieving more than even an admirer like Carrick foresaw.

He said: “It is fantastic for him to see Morgan going on to do so well and for a good period of time. He had the initial signing in the January, and I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go, it was a big step for him, he hadn’t played for an awful long time at Middlesbrough so I felt he could have done with a little bit more.

“But as soon as he had gone to Aston Villa, he took huge steps and become a major, major part of their team and part of the England team so that is how well he has done.

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Michael Carrick and Morgan Rogers worked together at Middlesbrough (Getty Images)

“You could always see what he was possibly going to be capable of and the potential in terms of his attributes, the way he carries the ball, he can play off his left foot, play off his right foot, create and score goals and really good athletically, so there were a lot of things there when we took him to start with.

“But to see him go on and have such an impact would be probably more than I would have expected or probably more than Morgan himself would have expected. It is great to see though. I enjoy seeing him do so well. To come up against him is a different story. Nevertheless, he is a good person, great to work with so I am delighted he has done so well.”

Carrick said that Mason Mount, who has only made one appearance in his reign, is back in contention for Sunday’s game against Villa, though Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt remain sidelined.

He added: “Mason's back with the group, which is fantastic. He is an important player for us. To have him back involved is a good step for us. He is not 100 percent, because he has only trained a small amount of time, but he is back.

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Mason Mount could feature against Aston Villa (PA Wire)

"That is good for us. We will see if he is involved or not on Sunday. It is a big step for him and we are happy with that.”