Middlesbrough boss has say on Aston Villa's pursuit of attacker

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has said he 'expects' Morgan Rogers to still be with them by the time they face Chelsea in their Carabao Cup semi-final clash on Tuesday amid interest from Aston Villa.

The winger, 21, played for Boro on Saturday as they drew 1-1 at home to Rotherham United at the Riverside Stadium.

Speaking afterwards, Carrick was asked about Rogers' future and said, as per a report by the Northern Echo: "There's not really (much I can tell you).

"It’s just that time of year where there is plenty of rumours and speculation. From my point of view, watching Morgan today, he played well.

"There is nothing to say really on that one. It’s all eyes on Tuesday and we expect him to be with us. 

"From my point of view, it’s pure speculation. Nothing surprises me in football and I don’t get involved in that. I’m only interested in the players we’ve got here to choose from. I picked a team today to try and win the game and we just couldn’t quite pull it off."

Aston Villa have identified Rogers as someone to bolster their attacking options for the rest of this season.

The youngster only joined Boro last summer and has since scored six goals for Carrick's men during the first-half of this campaign.

Rogers was on the books at West Brom as a youngster before Manchester City swooped to land him. However, he never made a senior appearance during his time at the Etihad Stadium and was loaned out to Lincoln City, AFC Bournemouth and Blackpool to get some experience under his belt.