'Someone you can bounce off' - Morgan Rogers reveals Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham played key role in helping Aston Villa forward settle into England squad

Speaking to GOAL, in association with PUMA, Morgan Rogers revealed that having Jude Bellingham already in the England senior squad made his transition into international football much smoother. Rogers highlighted how Bellingham's presence, as someone he knew from their shared Birmingham roots, provided a sense of comfort and familiarity, with former Three Lions interim boss Lee Carsley rewarding the 22-year-old with his first call-up back in November 2024 after his impressive form with Villa.

Both Rogers and Bellingham have emerged as two of England's brightest young talents, with both featuring in Thomas Tuchel's first games in charge of the Three Lions. Indeed, the presence of a familiar face like Bellingham's around the camp is likely to have been invaluable to Rogers as he looked to adapt to the demands and pressures of international football.

"It might not be as daunting as you think, even though you might think it is when you go in there," said Rogers, reflecting on joining up with the England squad, where he now has four senior caps to his name. "It's usually never that bad. So yeah, it was really nice [to be involved with England]. Obviously the one that was really nice [in helping Rogers settle in] was probably Jude being there. Obviously playing against him and what not, and playing with him at earlier age groups."

"It's nice to have someone that I already knew, someone that you can kind of bounce off, that you know already and that you can just be comfortable with," he added. "So yeah, that's nice to have. But to be fair, because the group's so young, you know a lot of them. Or even if you don't know them personally, you played against them. So it's easy sentence starters and an easy way to talk to people and to get to know them."

Rogers also touched upon the importance of representing Birmingham and not forgetting his roots: "It's where I'm from, it's where I grew up. It's nice to have other people doing that. Hopefully more can come up behind me and behind Jude and Jack [Grealish]. You try to be role models and try and be leaders to follow, so yeah, it's just about not forgetting where you're from. Wherever you go to, wherever you might end up, you still know your roots."

Both Rogers and Bellingham will be aiming to feature prominently for their respective clubs as we enter the final months of the season. Having been a regular for Villa under Unai Emery, Rogers will be hoping to have a big impact as his side attempt to progress in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, while Real Madrid superstar Bellingham could add a number of trophies to his collection before the end of the 2024-25 campaign, with Carlo Ancelotti's men still in the hunt for a La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble.