Despite the pressure he is facing at the moment, Steven Gerrard has brought some genuine quality to Aston Villa during his time as manager.

The likes of Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho are all at the club on a permanent basis following summer moves, and with such talent at their disposal, Villa should really be sitting higher than the 16th position they currently occupy in the Premier League table.

Gerrard inherited a squad which contained Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and Tyrone Mings, but it is right-back Matty Cash on whom the club have really hit the jackpot.

Aston Villa struck gold with Matty Cash

The defender was signed by former Villa boss Dean Smith in 2020 for a fee of £14m from then-Championship side Nottingham Forest, and the Poland international has settled into life in the top flight with ease.

He played 28 league matches in his first season at Villa Park, helping the side to keep ten clean sheets and completing 67% of his attempted dribbles, showcasing his attacking intent down the right-hand side whenever possible.

Cash started every league game last season and had seven goal contributions (four goals, three assists) while also displaying his excellent defensive attributes, making 2.3 tackles (second in the squad) and 1.3 interceptions per match (first in the squad) as he became one of the first names on Gerrard’s team sheet.

The £65k-per-week defender has also made a splash on international level, making his debut for Poland in 2021, and he could be set to feature at the upcoming World Cup.

Speaking on Soccer Saturday in January 2020, Sky Sports pundit Matt Murray hailed Cash as a “quality” player, and this was before he made the move to the Premier League.

With CIES Football Observatory valuing the player at €35m (£30.4m), it represents more than double what Villa paid just over two years ago, with the player now worth 118% more than his 2020 transfer fee.

Cash is still only 25 and has a couple of years left before he even hits the peak of his powers. By that stage, Villa could well make a fortune on the player.