Rogers inspiring future generations at former school

[Getty Images] For Aston Villa and England footballer Morgan Rogers, the love of the game runs in the family. "My mum and dad are fans of football and my brothers are fans of football, so it made it really easy for me to be," he told the Football Association. The 23-year-old added he was "a bit of a geek" when it comes to learning players, teams and little details that other people may not know. His thirst for knowledge was evident from a young age, according to former West Bromwich Albion manager Darren Moore. He was part of the club's academy coaching staff when he first came across Rogers, who played for the under-14s team at the time. "Every time in football training or games, he would always work hard, express himself and want to absorb all the information that was given to him," said Moore. While coaches spotted his potential in the academy, the same qualities were just as clear at school. Rogers attended Sandwell Academy and was part of the side that won the National Schools Cup in 2017, and in later years. Scott Follis, now head of PE at Sandwell Academy, taught Rogers during that time and remembers a pupil whose talent stood out immediately. "My first memory of him is seeing him on the football pitch, " he said. "Morgan was brilliant, we are quite lucky as a school, over the years we have had some really talented footballers come through." He added: "He was always a step above, just an excellent footballer, what you see now when he is playing at the highest level, is what we saw at school level. "He was so natural with the ball, so effortless, I remember watching Morgan, and wondering if he didn't make it to the top level, I don't know what the top level is." Follis and the PE department have kept an eye on him throughout the years. "We knew when he was out on loan, and breaking into the first teams, we try and track our students," said Follis. When he saw Rogers named in the 26-man squad for the summer tournament, Follis said he was "really excited to see how he gets on and it's great to see him out there on a massive stage". Meanwhile, Rogers is continuing to inspire future generations at his old school. "The students ask 'did Morgan Rogers come here?' 'Did you teach Morgan?', and the majority know we did," Follis added. Read Megan's full piece here