Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has lavished praise on a recent winter signing.

The Spaniard is not surprised by how quickly Morgan Rogers has acclimated to the Premier League.

Having signed from Middlesbrough in January, the 21-year-old already appears settled within the team.

"It is not a surprise because when we analyzed him playing in Middlesbrough and we decided to sign him, it's because we watched his characteristics as a player," Emery told reporters.

"There is still a lot of work to do with him. Every player starts somewhere, League One, League Two, Championship, Premier League. It's always a process with younger players.

"He was at the Manchester City academy and when he progressed, they decided to let him leave and he was progressing in the Championship. Of course, he had and he has shown us his qualities and then in structure, his qualities were perfect to introduce and set in our squad.

"Now, for different circumstances, he is playing more than we thought. One reason is because he is playing well and then because Jacob Ramsey, with the same qualities, is injured.

"When some players are injured like we had, it's important to have players ready to play in our tactical ideas. He is learning so quickly and we will need him at the end of the season like he is playing now and even better."