Gary Lineker heaps praise on Aston Villa duo

Following Aston Villa's sensational comeback victory over Wolves at the weekend, the club sit third in the Premier League table with 12 points from a possible 15. Manchester City leads the way with 13 points following their 2-2 draw with Arsenal whilst Liverpool and Villa sit just one point behind after the first five games.

Wolves took a first-half lead at Villa Park through Matheus Cunha but Villa turned the game around through goals from Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran. As a result of the superb second-half performance by the home side, two Villa players have been the target of huge praise from former England striker and Match of the Day host, Gary Lineker.

Gary Lineker praises Villa's attacking style

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Lineker highlighted the performances of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers as Aston Villa secured their third victory in a week. Having beaten Everton and Wolves in the Premier League and won away at BSC Young Boys in midweek, Villa are already starting to put any doubts aside that the team might not be able to cope with the demands of balancing the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

Lineker began his review of the game by saying, "They came from behind again, which was a good effort" and went on to congratulate them on a "fabulous week". The former England forward praised Villa for coming strong in the second half when a week that involved a trip to Europe in the Champions League just three days before could easily have been an excuse for defeat.

Lineker also praised England forward Ollie Watkins and Villa talent Morgan Rogers for their part in the victory over Wolves and in Villa's excellent start to the season.

"Watkins has obviously found his goalscoring feet and his goal probably would have been blocked or gone over the bar a few weeks ago. I tell you though who was good again, Morgan Rogers. He was really, really good. He was probably the one who turned it [the game] around more than anyone else."

Co-host and all-time Premier League leading goalscorer Shearer supported Lineker's claim by saying Rogers has been "amazing" in the early stages of the season.

Morgan Rogers gets the burden of 'numbers' off his back

Morgan Rogers last week said, "I'm struggling to hit a barn door" when talking about the need to register goals and assists to compliment his excellent performances so far this season. Rogers has been praised across the wider football community for his dynamic ball-carrying and been highlighted as one of the Premier League's star players in the opening six weeks of the season.

However, after his two assists to set up Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran, respectively, in Villa's victory over Wolves the weight will be off his shoulders slightly and he will hope to push on and continue to register the numbers that evidence his superb performances. Talking to John Townley, Rogers said:

"I'm loving playing football. I'm playing the best I've ever played. A goal would be nice, I can feel one coming."

- Morgan Rogers

This weekend's game against Ipswich Town, who are winless after five matches, will be seen as another golden opportunity for the likes of Rogers and Watkins to get on the scoresheet.

UTV