Middlesbrough: Morgan Rogers may help Michael Carrick land Aston Villa star | OneFootball

Louie Barry has been linked with a January move to Boro, and Aston Villa have Rogers to testify how much improvement he could make under Carrick.

Middlesbrough have been linked with a January move for Aston Villa forward Louie Barry, and Unai Emery has Morgan Rogers as evidence for how much improvement a player can make by spending a short time with Michael Carrick.

Rogers was signed by Middlesbrough in July 2023 for a reported fee of £1m, and just six months later, he'd developed into a player that Villa were happy to part with up to £16m for.

Now it's understood that Boro have set their sights on Barry, who has been tearing up League One so far this season whilst on loan with Stockport County from the Villains, and as such, the Premier League side are planning on recalling the 21-year-old in January.

The Riverside Stadium has proven to be fertile ground for improvement for a plethora of Villa Park products in recent times, and the former Barcelona youngster could well be the next...

Rogers' Riverside revelation will be fresh in the minds of Villa's decision makers in regard to a potential Barry move

Prior to his move to Teesside, Rogers was a player who had shown flashes of his ability and potential whilst out on numerous loans in the EFL, but was yet to really refine his talent and put it all together.

That all changed when Carrick came calling, and it's fair to say that whatever he goes on to achieve in his career, he will surely always look back on his six months in the North East as a watershed moment.

It wasn't a case of Rogers walking straight into the Middlesbrough starting XI from the moment he arrived, however, and of his 26 Championship appearances for Boro, only 14 of them were starts.

However, his talent and impact on games became ever more difficult for Carrick to justify not selecting him from the off, and by the January window, Rogers had become undroppable.

Incidentally, his final game in a Middlesbrough shirt was perhaps the most telling of what his future held. As even in the midst of Boro's 6-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg away at Chelsea, Rogers looked like he belonged on that stage.

He would score an excellent goal at Stamford Bridge that night, and he would score past the Blues again in just a matter of months, this time at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Since his move to Villa, Rogers has gone on to establish himself as one the brightest young talents in the top-flight, and earned himself his first caps as a senior England international.

None of those dreams would've came true as quickly as they did without his spell at the Riverside, in which he'd score seven times and provide eight assists in 33 total appearances for Boro.

Boro must surely have credit in the bank with Villa after numerous successful deals between the two recently

Rogers isn't the only player who's enjoyed success from a transfer between Middlesbrough and Aston Villa in recent times, as the two clubs have developed a fruitful partnership when it comes to exchanging players in the past few years.

Finn Azaz is rapidly establishing himself as one of the best players in the Championship under Carrick since his move from Villa Park to the Riverside in January, and has become a vital figure in Boro's starting XI.

Cameron Archer enjoyed a highly fruitful short-term loan spell with Boro in the second half of the 2022/23 season, during which he scored 11 times and provided six assists in just 23 total appearances.

That move helped pave the way for Villa to receive £18m for him from Sheffield United upon the expiration of his Middlesbrough loan. Another played who joined Boro from Villa in that same winter window was Aaron Ramsey.

The winger was playing excellent football under Carrick during his short-term loan deal up until he suffered an injury that would curtail his season after just 11 appearances. In that time, however, the England youth international scored five goals and provided one assist.

Like Archer, that loan spell on Teesside set the club up to receive £14m from Burnley for Ramsey's signature in the summer of 2023, meaning Villa had Middlesbrough to largely thank for lining their coffers significantly that summer.

Considering all of these deals and their respective success, Aston Villa will surely have little reservation over sending one of their young talents to Teesside. Carrick and Middlesbrough have proven that they can improve them quickly, and significantly enough for Villa to sit back and watch their price-tags rise.

Barry has proven himself to be a cut above at League One level so far this term, and now looks set for a chance to shine in the Championship. If so, Carrick looks likely to be one of the first second tier gaffers Emery will call.