'Wonderful footballer' - Why Ian Maatsen stunned Tony Cascarino in Aston Villa win vs Man City

Ian Maatsen's performance in Aston Villa's win over Manchester City has Tony Cascarino purring.

The 24-year-old returned from a five-week injury absence to make the matchday squad against Viking in the Champions League on Wednesday.

He picked up an ankle problem against Nottingham Forest, which was a hugely frustrating way for his 2026-27 season to start.

Indeed, this year is perhaps Maatsen's most important at Villa Park, as it feels as though his long-term future in B6 is at stake.

Unai Emery has placed considerable trust in the Dutchman previously though, and did so again on Saturday lunchtime.

Going up against an elite Man City forward line, Maatsen's display really caught Cascarino's eye.

Who does Tony Cascarino think Ian Maatsen is better than at Aston Villa?

Maatsen is a divisive player amongst the Villa Park faithful, as he's struggled with consistency issues during his time in claret and blue.

When he's at his very best, however, the one-cap Netherlands international looks every bit of a top-quality full-back at Premier League level.

If he can show that on a more consistent basis moving forward, then Villa will surely have their long-term solution at left-back in him.

Speaking on talkSPORT on Sunday morning, Villa's former record transfer signing Cascarino believes Maatsen is a huge upgrade on Lucas Digne.

"Maatsen on the left side is a wonderful footballer," he said. "He’s better than Digne for me, by a long way.

"You know I look at Digne and I look at Maatsen, honestly Unai Emery, I hold my hands up to him. I think he's done a fabulous job at rebuilding Villa in literally weeks."

So, just how good was Maatsen's performance against Man City, and did it warrant the level of praise given by Cascarino?

How many duels did Maatsen win vs Man City?

With Matteo Ruggeri currently sidelined through injury, Maatsen is Villa's only fit and natural left-back in the squad at present.

As such, whether he played well against City or not, Emery doesn't have much of a choice but to play him currently.

Even if Ruggeri was fit, Maatsen's performance against Man City showed to Emery that he's the one that should be starting regardless moving forward.

Per FotMob, he made five recoveries, won four tackles, two interceptions and made one block.

He also won six ground duels, won a foul, made four line-breaking passes, took two shots and completed his lone dribble attempt successfully.

Maatsen was only dispossessed once, which against an elite pressing side like Man City is hugely impressive.

It was a performance that once again flashed Maatsen's top-class potential, and it can be easy to forget he's still only 24 years old.

He could be a hugely important player for Villa this season given a slight lack of depth and should injuries continue to take hold.