Why Fabrice Muamba thinks Matty Cash's Aston Villa performance vs Man City needs to be a 'case study'

Fabrice Muamba was impressed with Matty Cash's performance in Aston Villa's Premier League win over Manchester City on Saturday.

The Villans took down Enzo Maresca's side at Villa Park, emerging as 2-1 victors thanks to a Nicolas Jackson brace.

Unai Emery's team had a poor start to the campaign, but have swiftly turned things around and are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions.

Cash has been a big reason for Villa's turnaround, with the right-back an ever-present star under Emery.

The B6 side did have a bit more of an issue at left-back coming into the game against Man City, but Ian Maatsen was deemed fit enough to start after recent fitness issues.

However, Cash is being highlighted for his brilliance at Aston Villa, as Muamba feels like other players could do worse than look at his performance against Man City.

Why Fabrice Muamba was impressed with Matty Cash vs Man City

Cash has started in six of Villa's eight Premier League matches so far, and once again played a big role against Manchester City.

Muamba took to X to praise the Poland international for his performance, suggesting that he had Jeremy Doku in his back pocket.

He wrote: "Cash's performance against Doku is a case study for any academy full-back."

Henry Winter responded by telling Muamba that he agreed with him.

As per FotMob data, Cash won a whopping nine ground duels, making eight tackles, while Doku was dispossessed twice and lost 13 of his ground duels.

The 29-year-old Villa star completed 86 per cent of his passes, only misplacing three, as seven of them were line-breaking passes.

Cash made two blocks, one interception, two clearances and six recoveries, making a total of 13 defensive contributions.

He also completed 100 per cent of his long balls accurately, earning a 7.1 FotMob rating in a 46-touch masterclass at right-back.

Doku lost out to Villa's long-serving defender one too many times from a Man City perspective, making Muamba's point an educated one.

Where Cash ranks in Premier League for his best Aston Villa stat

Cash has continued to evolve since arriving from Nottingham Forest all the way back in 2020.

He's shown consistent defensive levels, while adding to his game in the final third, proving to be an extra outlet in attack for Emery.

However, Cash excels in the tackling department, and is once again ranking high in the Premier League in this area.

The Villa full-back ranks fourth for having the most tackles per 90 minutes in the league for players who have started five or more matches so far.

In first is Brentford's Mamadou Sangare (4.40), as Crystal Palace's Anan Khalaili is second (4.20), while Nottingham Forest's Xaver Schlager is in third (4.10).

Cash is fourth with 3.50 and remains an ever-reliable option at the back for Villa.