Emile Heskey has warned England midfielder Morgan Rogers of the potential perils of joining Arsenal or Chelsea this summer and says he may be ‘wasted’ at a ‘theoretically bigger club’.
Rogers, 22, enjoyed a brilliant season at Villa Park as Unai Emery’s side finished sixth in the Premier League and went deep in both the Champions League and FA Cup.
The former Manchester City player made over 50 appearances in all competitions and scored 14 goals, including a stunning hat-trick in the Champions League.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Rogers but Heskey says the England international must be ‘really careful’ as he considers his future at Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta is keen to sign another midfielder on top of Martin Zubimendi, who is set to arrive at the Emirates Stadium in a £55m deal from Real Sociedad.
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Arsenal’s interest in Rogers came after Chelsea were linked with a move earlier in the year.
Aston Villa are reluctant to lose Rogers, already considered one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but may be forced into some difficult decisions this summer after narrowly failing to qualify for the Champions League.
If Villa do put Rogers up for sale, they will reportedly ask for at least £50m for a player who has already earned four caps for England.
‘I think he needs to be really careful,’ ex-Aston Villa striker Heskey told Prime Casino. ‘He’s a huge asset for Villa and right now he’s a fantastic player.
‘But he’s got to choose wisely. If I was him, I would stay at Villa, establish myself and play more football.
‘Because if you go to a theoretically bigger club and you don’t play football, you’re wasting your talent.
Pep Guardiola on selling ‘exceptional’ Morgan Rogers
‘He was in the second team, and trained sometimes with us, and we could see something there.
‘But the impact he’s had in Villa, what a player, we had an exceptional player here, absolutely.
‘Of course, everyone knows how good Morgan is. A lot of players went on loan or have been sold.
‘But he was in that age, that moment, we had the players that we had that allowed us to create the most successful years in the history of our club.
‘In that moment, sometimes when they arrive they are two, three years younger and at that moment there is Kevin in his prime, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling and sometimes it’s difficult. That’s the only reason why.
‘In the situation we are in right now, of course these kinds of players would be with us. This is obvious.
‘I’m happy for him because he’s a lovely guy. He exploded last season and this season he’s a really, really top-class player. England have another exceptional player.’
‘He’s got to play. I love the way that he plays. He plays with enthusiasm, he plays with freedom and he’s a very good player.
‘So I would suggest he stays at Aston Villa for another season at least.’
Rogers started England’s World Cup qualifying win over Andorra on Saturday before coming off the bench in the 1-0 friendly defeat to Senegal on Tuesday night.
Heskey wary of Aston Villa signing Rashford
Failing to qualify for the Champions League harmed Aston Villa’s chances of signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent transfer from Manchester United.
Heskey believes Rashford ‘did enough’ to earn a permanent move to Villa Park during his loan spell but says the numbers involved in the deal are too hefty.
‘Marcus did enough to earn a move in football terms, but the figures don’t match the value of what they’re willing to pay,’ Heskey added.
‘His wages are astronomical. They’re too big for Villa, I think. They could probably afford it, but it would stop them doing any other business, and it doesn’t make sense.
‘If they pay up for him too, their current players are going to be asking to have their contracts looked at as well. It sets an awkward precedent.’
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