The huge Morgan Rogers call Thomas Tuchel must make with Aston Villa star for England's 2026 World Cup

Aston Villa pair Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins both got on the scoresheet for England in their 3-0 win over Wales in their latest World Cup qualifier on Thursday night. Bukayo Saka also managed to find the net for the Three Lions. It turned out to be a comfortable evening for Thomas Tuchel’s side at Wembley.

They are back in action on Tuesday with an away trip to Latvia as they look to keep their momentum going. Tuchel’s men are going well at the moment and are unbeaten in their last three matches. They haven’t conceded since their defeat to Senegal back in June.

England should start Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers ahead of Jude Bellingham at the World Cup

England are preparing for the World Cup next summer in USA, Canada and Mexico. The Three Lions will be aiming to win the tournament if possible. They reached the quarter-finals back in 2022 under Gareth Southgate before they were beaten by France in Qatar.

Jude Bellingham wasn’t called up for their most recent squad due to a lack of game time for Real Madrid. He has played only five times for the La Liga giants this season. In addition, he is yet to complete 90 minutes and it has been a frustrating period for the highly rated 22-year-old.

The former Birmingham City man underwent shoulder surgery over the summer and hasn’t been able to get into his groove over in Spain yet. This lack of rhythm has allowed other players like Rogers to step up to the plate for the national team. With the way things are going. the Aston Villa ace may well start ahead of Bellingham at the World Cup if he isn’t able to force his way back into the fold under Tuchel.

Tuchel has recently said: “He always deserves to be in camp. There’s an extra layer on top of it, the situation that he hasn’t gathered rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He is back in the team, he hasn’t finished one full match, he has only started one match, so he is in the period where he gets his rhythm and back to full strength. He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call, there were no [new fitness] issues. He just lacks rhythm.”

Why England need to build around Morgan Rogers

International football is all about consistency and England are doing fine without Bellingham right now. He will be in the squad for next year’s tournament but he isn’t guaranteed a starting place if he doesn’t get many minutes in the meantime. Rogers is getting more opportunities under Tuchel right now and is taking his chance.

The 23-year-old has been on the books at Villa Park since January 2024 and has become a key player for Unai Emery’s side. He has made 80 appearances in all competitions and has scored 17 goals, 14 of which came in the last campaign. The attacking midfielder’s contract expires in 2030 meaning they are under no pressure to sell him anytime soon.

Rogers will be in confident mood after getting his first England goal against Wales. He will be in good spirits for when he returns to club football. His team are back in action next weekend with an away trip down to London to play Tottenham Hotspur.

The Halesowen-born man had spells as a youngster at both West Brom and Manchester City. He never played for the first-team of the latter though and was loaned out from the Etihad Stadium to Lincoln City, AFC Bournemouth and Blackpool to get some experience under his belt in the Football League. Middlesbrough then snapped him up on a permanent basis before Aston Villa came calling and he hasn’t looked back since.