Aston Villa reward Ian Maatsen as Unai Emery's faith in left-back becomes clear

Aston Villa have continued their recent run of contract announcements by confirming that Ian Maatsen has signed a new deal until 2032, and I really like the way the club are going about rewarding players whose importance to the squad has increased following a summer of significant change.

Jacob Tanswell first reported that talks were taking place back on September 1st, and he deserves plenty of credit for being ahead of the curve on this one, particularly when you consider that he has also been reporting on the situations involving Victor Lindelof and George Hemmings in recent weeks.

Maatsen's new contract effectively gives him another six years at Villa Park, and I think it is another positive indication of the direction the club are looking to move in, with players who have remained at Villa and taken on greater responsibility being rewarded accordingly.

I don't think Maatsen is necessarily somebody who divides opinion amongst Villa supporters, but there is probably a conversation to be had about how effectively we have replaced Lucas Digne, who developed into a magnificent left-back during his time at the club, particularly in the latter stages of his Villa career.

Having Digne and Maatsen available to Emery was a real strength because they offered different qualities, and while I hope that Maatsen and Matteo Ruggeri can eventually provide something similar, injuries have prevented us from seeing that competition develop properly so far this season.

There has been some discussion about who Emery considers his first-choice left-back, and I actually spoke to somebody earlier today who suggested Ruggeri might be viewed as the preferred option, although Tanswell's reporting indicates that Maatsen is very much the number one in that position.

Personally, I think that's the right decision because when Maatsen is completely on his game, he offers something that very few players in this Villa squad can replicate, particularly with his acceleration, his ability to get into advanced positions and the way he can provide penetration down the left-hand side.

With some of the new attacking players Villa have brought in, I think those qualities could become increasingly important because we have seen periods this season where we have struggled to create opportunities from wide areas, and Maatsen is somebody who can help change that with his movement and willingness to get forward.

Where I would like to see more from him is in the final third, because although he regularly gets himself into dangerous positions, I don't think his end product has always reflected the quality of those runs, and there is certainly room for improvement in terms of his delivery and the number of assists he contributes.

Interestingly, I actually think his development under Emery has been more noticeable defensively than offensively, which perhaps isn't what people would have expected when he first arrived from Chelsea.

He was signed with a reputation for being an exciting attacking full-back, and while those qualities haven't disappeared, I think we have seen him become a more rounded footballer who understands his defensive responsibilities considerably better than he did when he first joined.

There have been some difficult moments recently, particularly when he has been isolated against opposition wide players without a great deal of support from Johan Manzambi, and I wouldn't pretend that his one-on-one defending has been faultless, but I also think it's important to recognise the progress he has made.

I thought he was absolutely brilliant against Manchester City in his first game back from injury, and alongside Matty Cash, he produced one of his best performances of the season in a game where Villa needed both full-backs to be disciplined defensively while still offering something when we had possession.

When I look at Maatsen's development, I actually think there are some similarities with Digne, who wasn't necessarily the most convincing defender when he first arrived at Villa under Steven Gerrard, but improved enormously once Emery started working with him.

There were aspects of Digne's defensive game that I thought were quite basic weaknesses when he first joined, yet over time Emery managed to iron out those deficiencies, and we eventually had a left-back who was extremely reliable without losing the attacking qualities that made him such a valuable player.

I wouldn't say Maatsen is at that level of consistency just yet, but at 24 years old, there is absolutely no reason why he cannot continue improving, particularly when you consider the demands Emery places on his full-backs and the amount of tactical detail involved in playing in this Villa team.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Maatsen is that I still think we are waiting to see the best version of him going forward, because while he has become more dependable defensively, I don't think we have consistently seen the attacking player who looked so dangerous during his time at Borussia Dortmund.

There is a balance to be found there, and I would imagine Emery is working with him on exactly that, because Villa need their full-backs to be capable of defending in difficult situations while also contributing to the attacking structure, particularly when the players ahead of them move into central areas.

I think the new contract is thoroughly deserved, and while there will always be areas of his game that we can scrutinise, Villa are securing the long-term future of a talented young player who has already improved under Emery and should have his best years ahead of him.

After the departures we experienced during the summer, I think it's encouraging to see the club building around players who want to be here, and if Maatsen can combine the defensive improvements he has made with greater consistency in the final third, I think we could have an outstanding left-back on our hands.