Middlesbrough FC v Rotherham United: Boro blocking out Morgan Rogers interest as Lukas Engel thrives from adversity

Boro are understand to have rejected two Villa bids for the Halesowen-born player on Thursday, and are bracing themselves for a third with Unai Emery said to regard the 21-year-old as a priority target.

Midfielder Hayden Hackney is also said to be attracting Premier League attention, from Newcastle United amongst others.

Rogers joined from Manchester City on a four-year contract in the summer and impressed in Boro's FA Cup third-round tie against the Premier League side.

Boro owe City a percentage of the fee should he leave in January and will not want to let Rogers go on the cheap as they look to gatecrash the Championship promotion picture after a slow start to the season.

Rogers began his career in West Bromwich Albion's academy before moving to City for £4m as a 16-year-old. The fee which took him to the Riverside was not disclosed, but his value will only have increased on the back of this season.

Another player whose stock is rising is defender Lukas Engel.

The Danish left-back's start to 2023-24 mirrored his team's, and he was substituted at half-time of September's 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday, only his fifth match since joining from Silkeborg.

Rather than be destroyed by it, Engel has grown into a key figure in the side, whether at full-back or recently in the centre of defence.

"Sometimes setbacks are a good thing and it teaches you a lot about yourself," said manager Michael Carrick. "It shows you how you deal with it, it shows people around you how you deal with it.

"It's never nice to go through but sometimes they're the best lesson.

"There's a human element to football. The boys aren't going to be at their best and be the most confident and self-believing every single game. It's important that we all understand that and are patient at times.

"Yeah, we'll strive for performances and results but the boys are human, they do have ups and downs and certain situations affect them so we have to support them and get the best out of them as much as we can."

Tenth-placed Boro sit a point outside the play-offs. Rotherham are bottom of the Championship and without an away win in any competition since November 2022.