Aston Villa: Unai Emery may hand Kaine Kesler-Hayden start v Wolves after new Matty Cash update
Aston Villa are set to make a return to Premier League action after the March international break when they face Wolves on Saturday 30 March.
Unai Emery’s side are without a win in their last two Premier League outings having drawn with West Ham United in their last game before the international break so the Villans will be keen to get back to winning ways.
However, the Irons have been dealt a new blow after Matty Cash picked up a fresh injury whilst away with Poland and the full-back now looks set to miss the next few weeks of Premier League and European action.
Most will expect Ezri Konsa to slot into the right-back role as he did at the London Stadium, but Emery could be set to throw in a curve ball and hand Kaine Kesler-Hayden a full Premier League debut against Gary O’Neil’s side.
Is Matty Cash fit to play for Aston Villa and Unai Emery against Wolves?
The 21-year-old full-back spent the first half of the season on loan with Plymouth Argyle where he made 24 appearances in the Championship, laying on two assists for his teammates as the Pilgrims impressed in England’s second tier.
However, Emery and Villa took the decision to recall Kesler-Hayden in the January transfer window and the young full-back has been a regular feature on the bench in the Premier League and Europa Conference League ever since.
But the former Plymouth loanee is yet to step foot on the pitch in the Premier League with Emery instead opting to rotate both Cash and Konsa at right-back depending on the Villans’ opponent.
Konsa impressed for England during the international break but didn’t look particularly comfortable at right-back against West Ham last time out.
Most supporters agree his best position is at centre-back and after Clement Lenglet struggled once again in the draw with the Hammers, it seems natural that the England international should replace the Frenchman alongside Pau Torres.
With Cash rooted to the treatment table, that leaves a position open for another full-back to grab. While it would be a risk to hand Kesler-Hayden a full debut in a Midlands derby, he has been waiting in the wings for this opportunity.
It wouldn’t be a total surprise to see Emery throw the 21-year-old in the deep end on Sunday as he has been willing to hand young talents big roles already this season.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has been handed a new boost ahead of the clash with Wolves as a new Jacob Ramsey update emerges at Villa Park
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