Morgan Rogers has arguably been Chelsea’s best player this season, with the attacking midfielder scoring once again this weekend.

It was Rogers who opened the scoring for Chelsea in their 2-0 win against Manchester United on Saturday with a sensational solo goal. It comes after the penalty he dispatched versus Liverpool in the Carabao Cup during the week.

Daniel Sturridge urges Morgan Rogers to shoot more

After joining Chelsea from Aston Villa in a club-record £117m deal, there was already a lot of pressure on Rogers. That pressure has only increased following the impressive start he has made at Stamford Bridge, with supporters now expecting him to make something happen in every game.

With Joao Pedro out injured, his team-mates will also be looking to him more, knowing that he is capable of scoring goals. In Pedro’s absence, Sturridge has urged the 24-year-old to start taking more shots.

In a post on X, the former striker said: “Morgan Rogers needs to have a striker’s mentality when Pedro is out, be a bit more selfish and shoot more. He has the quality to score 13-15 Premier League goals without pens. Baller.”

Thankfully, Pedro was not missed too much on Sunday, as the likes of Rogers, Estevao Willian and Romeo Lavia all stepped up. Estevao and Lavia also put in top performances, with the former making his first start in the Premier League this season.

A lot has been said about his relationship with his manager, but Estevao and Xabi Alonso were seen hugging each other just before the Brazilian had a goal ruled out for offside.

Morgan Rogers’ attacking stats this season

Perhaps Rogers could try to test the goalkeeper more, but he has still been quite active in front of goal this season. Rogers is currently taking 2.3 shots per game, which is the third-highest average in Chelsea’s squad, according to WhoScored.

His xG is only 2.8 despite the Englishman scoring five goals, so some of the shots he has been taking have been quite difficult ones. It suggests that Rogers perhaps already has this striker mentality that Sturridge has spoken about.

For key passes and dribbles, Rogers also ranks very highly in the Chelsea dressing room. In fact, he is completing more dribbles per game than any other Chelsea player.

Despite scoring, Alan Smith felt Rogers did not look himself against Liverpool during the week. That could not be said of the England international by the end of Saturday’s game versus United.

Overall, what makes Rogers’ start to the season particularly impressive is that his contribution extends beyond goals. Averaging 2.3 shots, 1.9 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per Premier League game, he is influencing Chelsea’s attacking play in several different ways. His five goals from an xG of 2.8 also suggest that he has been particularly clinical in front of goal.

However, increasing his shooting volume and getting into more high-quality scoring positions could help him reach the 13-15-goal target mentioned by Sturridge. This would make him an even greater attacking threat for Chelsea, thought it seems he may be able to reach that landmark regardless at this rate.