An Aston Villa midfielder is named as a potential Manchester City target but a summer move appears improbable | OneFootball

As Manchester City drew nil-all with Manchester United yesterday you could see the problems with the current City squad staring at you in the face. Pep Guardiola decided to start with his most experienced players. Especially in midfield. But as the game unfolded you can see that City are screaming out for legs in midfield and creativity. That’s not a new revelation but it stood out during yesterday’s match.

The idea of starting Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan in midfield makes sense. They potentially offer control and poise in possession. That appeared to be what Pep Guardiola was aiming for in yesterday’s match. But the reality of De Bruyne, Bernardo, Kovacic and Gundogan doesn’t match the idea. They can’t get up and down the pitch like they once could. Nor can they affect games going forward like they once could. We have seen that time and time again this season. They did have a fleeting moment against Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final last weekend but the reality is they can’t do what they once could. That’s the legacy of Father Time catching up to Manchester City’s heroes.

But watching Manchester City play yesterday you can see that they are screaming out for energy in midfield. When Kovacic, Bernardo, Gundogan or De Bruyne lost possession, they couldn’t get back to help defensively. They just aren’t capable of doing that anymore. The moment Kovacic gave away possession in the 20th minute yesterday, which led to a squandered chance for Alejandro Garnacho, summarised that issue. There were other examples of this yesterday. Especially late on in yesterday’s match at Old Trafford.

Manchester City are linked with a move for an Aston Villa midfielder who would help with his energy and ability going forward but the move appears unlikely and impossible to pull off.

Pep Guardiola’s squad does need energy in midfield and upfront. The return of Rodri will help, but you sense that Manchester City desperately need those attributes in midfield. Whether that’s going forward with driving runs from midfield and the ability to track back when possession is lost. On that front, City has been linked with a summer move for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers. He’d certainly help going forward with his pace and energy and he could help trackback defensively. But with as many boxes as Rogers ticks as what Manchester City need it just doesn’t seem to be a feasible move.

Fraser Fletcher has reported for TeamTalk that Manchester City ‘hold serious hope’ of signing Morgan Rogers this summer. Furthermore, Fletcher reports that Pep Guardiola loves Rogers as a player and would love to bring him back to the Etihad. But Fletcher reports that Rogers signed a contract extension with Aston Villa in November and Aston Villa doesn’t want to sell the England international. Lastly, Fletcher reports that it would take a ‘mammoth offer’ for Villa to consider selling Morgan Rogers.

Summary.

A player like Morgan Rogers is what Manchester City need this summer. They are screaming out for energy and pace in their ranks. Both going forward and with the ability to track back when necessary. If you inserted Rogers into Manchester City’s midfield yesterday instead of Kevin De Bruyne or Ilkay Gundogan, for example, Pep Guardiola’s side would be a different proposition entirely. So a move for Morgan Rogers makes sense on paper. But it just isn’t feasible given his importance to Aston Villa and the fact that he has only recently signed a contract extension with Villa. But he’s the type of player that would help Pep Guardiola’s squad tremendously and that stood out at Old Trafford yesterday.