Steven Gerrard: Matty Cash perfect for Aston Villa
Steven Gerrard reckons Matty Cash’s hunger to improve makes him perfect for his long-term vision at Villa.
The right-back has been among the club’s most consistent performers this season and was recently rewarded with a new five-year deal.
Cash, who joined Villa from Nottingham Forest for £16million prior to last season, had been touted as a summer target for Atletico Madrid.
But he is very much part of Gerrard’s plans moving forward. Asked what he admired about the 24-year-old, the Villa boss replied: “Matty’s all-in. He’s been fantastic to work with, I love his energy, I love his character and his personality.
“He wants to be a good Premier League player, he wants to be a good international player and you can see that in the gym, after training doing extra work, watching clips and wanting to get himself as best prepared and in a position to improve. They are the people you want to work with.”
Cash is the only player to have started all 31 of Villa’s Premier League matches this season and Gerrard believes the Poland international has fared well when matched up against some of the division’s top wingers.
He said: “In the main he’s been extremely consistent. I think he’s the one in the team that has had the most difficult one v one challenges throughout the fixtures we’ve played and I think in the main he’s handled himself extremely well.
“I absolutely love working with him, he’s very infectious, a good kid and what strikes me about him is he’s desperate to improve and desperate to get better.”
