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Rogers named Europa League player of the season as Villa dominate team of tournament

·By Paul Lindisfarne
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Rogers named Europa League player of the season as Villa dominate team of tournament

Aston Villa/X.com

Morgan Rogers has been named the Europa League Player of the Season by UEFA after contributing three goals and five assists in 15 appearances as Aston Villa lifted the trophy in Istanbul.

Rogers also played 1,088 minutes in the competition — 67 more than any other Villa player — as Unai Emery's side became the first English club since Manchester United in 2017 to win the Europa League.

The England international is expected to be named in head coach Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad on Friday, with his performances for Villa throughout the campaign having significantly strengthened his case for inclusion.

Three of Rogers' four Villa teammates named in the UEFA technical observer group's team of the season also featured in the final — goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who played the entire match with a broken finger sustained in the warm-up, captain John McGinn and forward Emí Buendía, who scored Villa's second goal.

The team of the season also included Nottingham Forest's Igor Jesus and Morato, who helped Nuno EspĂ­rito Santo's side reach the semi-finals before falling to a 4-1 aggregate defeat against Villa.

UEFA's technical panel selected two goals from the final among the seven best strikes of the tournament. BuendĂ­a's effort was ranked fifth and Youri Tielemans' opener was ranked seventh, behind a spectacular volley from Jones El-Abdellaoui for Celta Vigo against Ludogorets, which claimed top spot overall.

Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough in January 2024 and has become one of the most dynamic attacking midfielders in the Premier League, combining pressing intensity with the technical ability to unlock defences in tight spaces.

UEFA Europa League Team of the Season:

Goalkeeper: Emiliano MartĂ­nez (Aston Villa).

Defenders: Víctor Gómez (Braga), Morato (Nottingham Forest), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Óscar Mingueza (Celta Vigo).

Midfielders: John McGinn (Aston Villa), Maximilian Eggestein (Freiburg), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).

Forwards: Antony (Real Betis), Igor Jesus (Nottingham Forest), EmĂ­ BuendĂ­a (Aston Villa).