Aston Villa have not been reluctant to dive into the transfer market and bring new players to the club since they were promoted back to the Premier League in 2019.

One player that the Midlands club have signed in recent years who has undeniably been a big hit at Villa Park is Matty Cash.

Signed from Nottingham Forest in September 2020 in a deal worth a reported £16m, the right-back has become a vital figure for the Villans.

Since his arrival, Cash has made 74 appearances in total across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing six assists along the way.

Under Steven Gerrard, Ollie Watkins (35) and Emi Buendia (35) are the only outfield players to have made more appearances for Villa than the Poland international (34), highlighting just how important he is to the team and the manager.

To showcase what he offers to the team on the pitch, the ex-Forest defender ended the 2021/22 Premier League campaign with more interceptions (90), blocks (91), pressures in the defensive third (268) and tackles in the defensive third (53) than any other player at the club.

The 25-year-old’s overall performances throughout the campaign earned the £65k-per-week defender a solid season rating of 6.91/10, making him the fourth-highest rated player at the club according to WhoScored.

Praised by former Villa manager Tim Sherwood for his “outstanding” performances, Cash has also been on the receiving end of praise from his current manager, who said about him in April: “Matty’s all-in. He’s been fantastic to work with, I love his energy, I love his character and his personality.”

Taking all this into account, by signing the defender just a few weeks after he was appointed as Villa’s sporting director, we feel that Johan Lange played an early blinder in getting the 25-year-old to the club.