Unai Emery accuses rivals of playing DIRTY to stop Morgan Rogers - but tells Aston Villa stars to adapt to rough treatment

Unai Emery has accused Aston Villa ’s rivals of playing dirty to stop star attacker Morgan Rogers.

Rogers has been fouled 27 times in the league this year, which places him 20th in the Premier League overall.

But the England forward’s emergence in the last two years has made him a marked men with teams constantly pushing the boundaries to stop him.

Emery made it clear he was not demanding more protection for Rogers but said: ‘Morgan is a very important player for us and sometimes they are trying to kick him and stop him, sometimes being close to a yellow card or red card.

‘Two weeks ago, for example, at Arsenal , the foul we saw by Mikel Merino on Morgan was a clear second yellow card (Merino escaped the second booking).

‘I am not complaining. I am reviewing everything which happened in the matches we played. We need to adapt quickly to how football is changing.

Rogers has been fouled 27 times in the league this year, which places him 20th in the top-flight

‘It is not in our hands and we must adapt and work. I can’t now complain about how they are managing the contact with goalkeepers and players.

‘We must believe in the way they are managing the referees, and football.’

Emery, whose third-placed side are six points adrift of leaders Arsenal, believes the modern game is more physical than it has ever been. He plans to ask his squad to bulk up in the gym for the second half of the campaign.

He has already highlighted the pressure placed on goalkeepers at set pieces, which often goes unpunished by the officials.

‘Morgan Rogers is a fighter and likes to fight with the defenders,’ said Emery, whose team face Everton at Villa Park on Sunday.

‘But we need to be aware of how football is changing. There is more contact and fewer fouls. When we played Arsenal there were a lot of duels and the contact was so, so strong.

‘In particular the attacking players are taking strong contact. We need to review how everything is progressing and work in the gym.’

Emery will be without key midfielder Boubacar Kamara, who Villa fear faces another significant spell on the sidelines.

The Frenchman sustained a knee injury early in Villa’s 2-1 win at Tottenham in the FA Cup last weekend and will undergo further assessments next week.

Emery added: ‘We are checking him and he is visiting some doctors and we are going to know about him in a few days, but of course he is not available and maybe for a long time.’