Morgan Rogers gets FPL fans talking as Aston Villa beat Walsall 3-0 in friendly | OneFootball

Aston Villa kicked off their summer preparations with a 3-0 win over neighbours Walsall on Wednesday.

There’s plenty to look forward to for Villa supporters after Unai Emery guided the club to a shock fourth-place finish last season, meaning Champions League football is now on the horizon for the first time since winning the competition in 1982.

For now, it’s all about fitness and giving players an opportunity to prove they deserve to be a part of Villa’s European adventure. One man who certainly did that was Morgan Rogers.

The 21-year-old wideman certainly excited Villa fans with his performances upon joining from Middlesbrough in January, notching three goals and an assist in his first 11 Premier League appearances for the club, having already posted seven goals and nine assists in 33 appearances across all competitions for Boro earlier in the campaign.

And on Wednesday night, Rogers was the star of the show, netting in both the 22nd and 36th minutes to give Villa a 2-0 half-time lead. His first was a cool finish after being played through on goal by Ross Barkley, who was making his second debut for the club after signing from Luton for another spell.

14 minutes later, Rogers was quickest to react as Walsall failed to clear a corner, firing home his and Villa’s second of the night. In reality, the England U21 international may be slightly disappointed he didn’t score a couple more as his electric movement resulted in a flurry of chances coming his way.

Nevertheless, Rogers put both Villa fans and FPL players on high alert with his exciting 45-minute performance.

Unai Emery flexed his squad with a raft of half-time changes and in total, he used 22 players but despite the disruptions, Villa didn’t let up. Leon Bailey could have found the net on a couple of occasions and Lucas Digne was also at his creative best down the left flank. Meanwhile, new arrival Enzo Barrenechea also fired narrowly over from distance, coming close to an eye-catching debut goal.

But it was the more familiar name of Louis Barry — returning from a loan spell at Stockport County — who finished the job with a close-range effort in the final seconds of the match.

Bigger tests are to come for Villa in what is a packed pre-season schedule featuring clashes with the likes of RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Athletic Club and Club America. Up next, meanwhile, is a trip to Slovakian side Spartak Trnava.

But you can only beat what is in front of you and plenty of Villa’s younger stars gave Emery food for thought on Wednesday in what was a sharp, lively performance to open pre-season.