HE might have left Middlesbrough in the middle of the season, but Michael Carrick was delighted to see Morgan Rogers perform so impressively during his first four months as an Aston Villa player.

Having joined Boro from Manchester City’s reserve ranks last summer, Rogers moved to Villa Park in January in a deal that could eventually be worth around £15m.

At the time, it was anticipated that the 21-year-old would spend the second half of the season on the fringe of things with Villa, but instead, he quickly forced his way into Unai Emery’s preferred starting line-up.

Rogers made 16 senior appearances in all competitions after leaving Boro, scoring three goals, as Villa secured a place in the Champions League by finishing fourth.

“In terms of Morgan, from my point of view, I take great satisfaction in seeing him do so well,” said Carrick. “He’s a fantastic lad. Of course, we don’t want to lose many - or any at all really. But to see him go and do so well is really pleasing.”

The rapid rate of Rogers’ development with Boro could also help when it comes to attracting other players to Teesside this summer.

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The youngster joined Boro off the back of a loan spell at Blackpool, but quickly made a name for himself in the Championship, scoring seven goals in 33 appearances. That then earned him his move to the Premier League with Villa.

“I certainly hope so,” said Carrick, when asked whether prospective summer signings would look at Boro and see a club that could aid their development. “It’s something we spoke about a lot.

“We’re not losing sight of the fact that we want to build a good team and we want to be a successful team. To do that, we need good players.

“Sometimes, that can be younger players who you develop a bit and help them take the next step in their careers, sometimes it might be the case that we need a more senior player for extra experience around the group.

“So, I think we’ve shown we’re willing to do both sides of that, and if that is attractive to other players and gives us a chance of bringing other players in, then fantastic.”