Morgan Rogers: Bournemouth loan yielded one Championship goal and left him fearing for his career before £117m move

Three years before becoming Chelsea's £117m club-record signing, Morgan Rogers scored only once during a Championship loan at Bournemouth, his lone goal coming against Luton Town, and later said he feared he might not make it in the professional game.

Rogers' pathway from academy prospect to high-value signing was interrupted by what he described as a series of "difficult loans" while he was a Manchester City player, including spells at Bournemouth and Blackpool. He had been a regular England youth international and one of West Bromwich Albion's leading academy talents before those moves. In a recent interview with Chelsea's club channel, Rogers said the experience taught him to "take knocks" and that stepping out of his comfort zone was necessary to become the professional he is now. Asked what his rise through the EFL had taught him, he replied: "Everything." After a long pause, he added: "I needed that next challenge, to be taken out of my comfort zone and find the player I was going to be in professional football. "I think the academy player I was, if you watch me then, is not the same player I am now. I am a completely different player. I had to learn that on loan. "The one thing I learned when going through these difficult loans is that I couldn't care less what people say about me. I just care about what I can control."

Rogers had earlier joined Lincoln City on loan, where manager Michael Appleton — who had worked in West Brom's academy — brought him to Sincil Bank and saw him as one of West Brom's top prospects. Rogers scored six goals and provided two assists in 28 appearances for Lincoln after joining shortly after lockdown and played alongside Brennan Johnson in attack. Appleton recalled the teenager's confidence and willingness to take responsibility, saying: "I don't think there's such a thing as a bad loan." He described an occasion at Portsmouth when the team were defending set-pieces and remembered Rogers offering: "Make me a marker. I'll head the ball out of our box." Appleton added: "This was a teenager on his first loan. For me, that's a great example of him as a person and as a player."

The Championship opportunity at Bournemouth under Scott Parker did not yield regular minutes; Rogers started only three matches and scored once as Parker's side secured promotion back to the Premier League. Former scout Des Taylor called him a "slow burner" and said: "You could see his ability having scouted him at Lincoln, but it wasn't clear what he would become. We saw his Lincoln loan spell turn him from a boy into a man. "He showed he could handle the physical side of things after coming from Man City's academy. Unfortunately, we signed him late in the window. We saw him as a number 10, but Parker was not really playing with a number 10. "I don't think it was a great time for him because he wasn't getting game time and, when he did, it wasn't in the position he wanted. He was a victim of the transition. It was no fault of Scott's, but it didn't work out." Former Bournemouth team-mate Steve Cook said: "Bournemouth had the opportunity to sign him permanently (reportedly for £9m) but it didn't work out. "He didn't let it stop him. First and foremost, he was a really good lad. He was energetic away from the football pitch and I think that character has helped take him to where he is now. "He's a great example that not every journey is straightforward. You need setbacks to make you hungry and appreciate what you've got. He worked hard, listened, had a willingness to learn and wanted to prove people wrong."

Rogers' Bournemouth loan was cut short and he returned to academy football before an injury delayed his subsequent move to Blackpool until the following January, reuniting him with Appleton in the Championship. Appleton was sacked after two weeks and replaced by Mick McCarthy; Rogers made 20 appearances for Blackpool, both as a starter and substitute, and scored once as the Tangerines were relegated to League One after appointing a third manager in April. Appleton reflected on the timing: "Unfortunately, he played one game against Watford and then I got sacked. That wasn't great for either of us. He'd been patient, I'd been patient while he recovered from his summer injury, we'd finally reconnected and then I was out of the building. "I don't think he played as much as he would have liked after that, but he dealt with it professionally and in the right way."

Rogers then moved to Middlesbrough for £1m and produced a run of five goals and three assists during the club's six-game run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, which prompted Aston Villa to make an initial £8m offer in the winter window. During the same period his "best friend in football", Cole Palmer, joined Chelsea for £42.5m without the need for a loan move to establish himself at Manchester City. Appleton summed up Rogers' trajectory by saying: "Morgan is a great example that careers aren't always a straight line."

Chelsea host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the same club where Rogers had his underwhelming Championship loan spell three years before his £117m move to Chelsea.