Aston Villa star Rogers, who appears to be World Cup-bound with England, left City to use Middlesbrough as a stepping stone back to the big time. Charles could emulate a man that he knows well.
His languid playing style has already been likened to that of Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Bellingham, while it could be argued that Arsenal great Patrick Vieira is another role model – with there similarities to be drawn between Charles and the World Cup-winning Frenchman when it comes to their physical attributes and ability to drive through the middle of the park.
Long added: “It’s hard to compare him to someone like that who’s done it for 20 years in the Premier League. It is tough with Jude as well, the level that he has got to.
“I’m sure Shea won’t be thinking like that. He’s just going to be improving his game, trying to be the best player he can be. You can tell he’s a professional man as well. He looks after himself. He works hard and he does everything. When people aren’t looking, that’s the important stuff in football – when you’re alone, you’re eating away, when you’re in the gym.
“He’s doing those extra bits so that when he comes on to the pitch, he’s fully prepared and he’s got a good mentality. The future looks bright for him, but the future looks bright for a lot of players on this team.”
Romeo Lavia is another player that has passed through City and Southampton, with the Belgian earning a £50 million-plus ($68m) move to Chelsea in 2023. Quizzed on whether Charles has even more strings to his midfield bow, Long said: “I think so. Like I said, he’s a quality player. You’ve got to keep wanting it. You’ve got to keep working on what he’s doing.
“There’s a lot of players that have come through Southampton that have gone on to bigger and better things. You look at Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, everyone that’s come through, Luke Shaw, they’ve all been given the opportunity to play and show what they can do. It’s a great schooling for younger players coming through.
“They’ve all pushed on to bigger and better things, so hopefully that’s the path again for Shea as well. But at the moment, I want them to focus on Southampton and beating City.”