MORGAN Rogers made his professional debut when he was just 16 but the first glimpse of his "unbelievable" talent came, remarkably, more than a decade earlier.

Rogers was no older than five when he first went along to a fun training session for kids put on by former Birmingham City midfielder Paul Tait.

“I have had a lot of kids who have come through the training, but the first time I saw him I looked at him and I thought ‘Jesus, this kid is something else’," Tait would later tell the Birmingham Mail.

“I couldn’t believe the ability he had for someone so young, I was absolutely amazed at the talent he was showing."

By the time he was six, Tait had moved Rogers up to train with kids three and four years older.

“I knew physically he wouldn’t be able to handle it but I wanted to see how he was technically - and he absolutely destroyed them too," he recalled.

“At that age it’s ball control, it’s speed over the ground, he used to just glide, he had left foot, right foot, he just stood out from the crowd.

“If I had 50 children there he was head and shoulders above everyone. He was literally incredible for someone that age.”

It was Tait who recommended Rogers to West Brom when he was just seven and as the youngster progressed he found himself on the radar of scouts at the FA, representing England from Under-15 level through to Under-20s. It was playing for West Brom against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup that the winger caught the eye of the Premier League champions and he'd just turned 17 when City reportedly forked out £4m to take him to the Etihad.

Of course, in this day and age impressing City scouts is one thing but breaking into the first team fold there is an all together different challenge. Rogers didn't play for City's first team but did benefit from four years of being in and around the very best, watching and learning.

He spent time at Lincoln and Bournemouth on loan and come January just gone there was double delight for Blackpool when they signed Rogers on loan, for not only had the Seasiders long courted the forward but boss Michael Appleton had seen first hand just what he was capable of.

"Rogers starred under Appleton during the latter’s time at Lincoln, helping lead the Imps to the League One play-off final where they were ironically beaten by Blackpool," Matt Scrafton, who last season covered the Tangerines for the Blackpool Gazette tells the Northern Echo.

"Having said that, Rogers had already been a long-time target for the Seasiders prior to Appleton’s arrival on the Fylde coast, but injuries kept getting in the way. Rogers was always keen to make the move, it wasn’t just a case of wanting to work for Appleton, although that obviously helped."

Just two weeks after Rogers' arrival at Bloomfield Road, Appleton was sacked - the start of a turbulent spell in the second half of the Championship season.

"He did well in challenging circumstances, albeit it’s probably fair to say Blackpool didn’t see the very best of him," says Scrafton.

"But given he worked under three managers - Michael Appleton, Mick McCarthy and Stephen Dobbie - in the space of just five months, that was probably to be expected.

"Rogers showed his best form just as the season was ending, which was frustrating as you felt there was a lot more to come. He scored a delightful goal against Norwich on the final day, which he took really well, but he otherwise failed to find the back of the net, which was probably the biggest disappointment. There’s no doubt there’s a very good player there but given Blackpool’s relegation last season, the circumstances weren’t ideal for him to shine."

At Boro, the circumstances look likely to be very different. There's a hope and expectation they'll be challenging at the top of the Championship rather than struggling at the bottom like Blackpool were, and there's stability on and off the pitch.

There's also a playing style which Rogers believes will suit him down to the ground. He came off the bench for Blackpool in the 3-0 defeat to Boro at the Riverside in February and was quite simply blown away by the "relentlessness" of Carrick's side.

Now, he's relishing the chance to be part of it.

"He’s a winger who is comfortable playing on either side. He did end up making a good chunk of his appearances for Blackpool in a number nine role, which was far from ideal. But the Seasiders were without a fully-fit striker for the run-in, so they were left with no choice," says Scrafton.

"But he’s a winger by trade and has decent pace, he’s come from Manchester City so he’s good technically as well. One thing that is instantly noticeable is also his size, he’s 6ft 4ins and fairly well built too. Despite his lack of goals at Blackpool, he does carry a goal threat and should get on the scoresheet fairly regularly if chances are provided for him."

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It's easy to forget that Rogers is just 20. For all he didn't make a senior appearance for Manchester City - and let's be honest, there's no shame there - he's already made more than 60 professional appearances. Having broken through so young, it would have been easy for Rogers to expect inevitable success to follow, but there's always been a wise head on young shoulders.

"One thing to note about him, away from the pitch, was how well he bought into the area, the club and the community during his short time at Blackpool," says Scrafton.

"He’s clearly switched on and is an articulate and impressive speaker, despite his young years. I’ve no doubt he will be a popular figure among the fans and I hope he fulfils his potential under Carrick."