West Brom's Morgan Rogers bags brace for England U17s
Morgan Rogers' fine 2019 continued yesterday when he bagged a brace for England's under-17s.
The Albion striker, who made his senior debut for the Baggies in February, scored twice in a 5-2 win over Switzerland in a European qualifier.
He opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before rounding off the rout 10 minutes from time.
Rogers has shot to prominence this year. As well as coming off the bench against Brighton in the FA Cup last month, he is also part of Mike Scott's under-18 side that has reached the FA Youth Cup semi-final.
England U17s also play Croatia on Sunday and Denmark next Wednesday as they attempt to qualify for May's U19 Euro finals in Ireland.
The 16-year-old isn't the only Albion player in action for England’s youth teams during the international break.
Sam Field started in midfield for England Under-20s yesterday in a 3-1 defeat to Poland in the U20 Elite League.
Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah scored the only goal for Paul Simpson’s men, who also play Portugal next Tuesday.
Rekeem Harper came on as a late substitute for England’s under-19s in a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic in their opening qualifying match for the European U19 Championships.
Defender Nathan Ferguson, who was also picked by former Albion coach Keith Downing, was an unused substitute.
The U19s play Greece tomorrow and Denmark next Tuesday.
The international recognition comes after one of Albion’s other academy products, Kyle Edwards, delivered a match-winning goal against Brentford.
Caretaker boss James Shan, who could now see out the season in charge, has praised the 21-year-old’s mentality after dealing with two serious injuries during his formative years.
“With Kyle, one of his biggest strengths is that he’s just so level with his personality,” said Shan. “He’s never too high with the highs or low with the lows.
“He’s a consistent character and a listener as well. He listens to the advice of the medical team and the coaching staff.
“He always knew if he was physically right and had the opportunity, he’d take it.”