Aston Villa have announced that Morgan Rogers has signed a new long-term contract.

At the start of the year, Villa made the decision to sign the versatile attacker from Championship side Middlesbrough in a deal that could eventually reach £16m.

The expectation was that the 22-year-old would provide competition to players above him in the pecking order when Villa were attempting to secure Champions League qualification at the same time as trying to win the Conference League.

However, Rogers has since established himself as one of Unai Emery's key players, impressively transitioning from a player with no Premier League experience to an England international in the space of 10 months.

As a result, Villa have moved swiftly to reward Rogers with a new deal, one that will run until the end of the 2029-30 campaign.

Midlands return the key?

Rogers was settling back into a familiar environment when moving to Villa, the forward having previously spent time with West Bromwich Albion's academy side before making a switch to Manchester City in 2019.

He arrived at Villa with a modest return of just four goals and eight assists from 61 outings for various clubs in the Championship, but he has made a mockery of that record in higher-quality competitions.

A total of six goals and three assists have been posted in 22 Premier League appearances, while Rogers has been handed starts in each of Villa's four Champions League fixtures.

Most notably, he has also started each of the 11 Premier League games during 2024-25, emphasising the trust being placed in him by Emery.

Last week, Rogers was one of the beneficiaries of the mass withdrawals from the England squad to face Greece and Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League.

Two substitute outings would follow, interim boss Lee Carsley handing another of his trusted Under-21 personnel a chance to impress before Thomas Tuchel takes over in January.

Building for the future?

This development is the latest move by Villa to try to ensure that their best players are not signed by higher-profile clubs in the short term.

Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Amadou Onana, Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran are all now on deals lasting between 2028 and 2030.

Villa also have no key players who are out of contract next summer, the club's hierarchy having worked diligently to lay the foundations for years to come.