Matty Cash is Aston Villa's best Premier League right-back — and he's still improving

Some have been critical of Matty Cash at various points during his Aston Villa career, and of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. What I would also say, though, is that his development under Unai Emery has been exceptional, and after watching him against Manchester City on Sunday, I'm increasingly convinced that he's the best right-back Aston Villa have had during the Premier League era (Sorry Earl, Mark etc).

That is a fairly substantial claim when you consider some of the players who have occupied that position over the years, but Cash has now been performing at a high level for a considerable period, and what he produced against Jeremy Doku was about as good a defensive performance as you're likely to see from a full-back facing one of the most dangerous wide players in the division.

Doku has been in excellent form over recent months, causing problems for defenders with his acceleration, ability to change direction and willingness to attack opponents repeatedly. He's the sort of player who can make even very good full-backs look uncomfortable, particularly when he isolates them in one-on-one situations, yet Cash managed to restrict his influence while also contributing to the intensity that Villa established across the pitch.

What made his performance even more impressive was the fact that he spent a significant portion of the game playing on a yellow card. Against somebody like Doku, that can completely change the way a defender approaches the contest because there's always the danger that one mistimed challenge or moment of hesitation can leave your team in a difficult position.

Cash didn't allow that to happen, and his concentration, positioning and decision-making were outstanding. He continued to compete aggressively when the situation demanded it, but there was also an intelligence to the way he defended, recognising when to engage and when to hold his position rather than allowing Doku to dictate the contest.

It's worth remembering that Cash wasn't a natural right-back when he arrived at Aston Villa from Nottingham Forest, and his development in the position has involved adapting different aspects of his game over several seasons. There have been times when his positioning has been questioned, particularly within Emery's system, but I think we're now seeing a player who has a far greater understanding of what the manager requires from him.

One of the things I find particularly impressive about Emery is the way he continues to improve players who have already been at the football club for a significant amount of time. It's easy to focus on the exciting younger signings, especially given the quality Villa have recruited over the summer, but Cash is an excellent example of an established player continuing to evolve rather than simply maintaining the level he had previously reached.

He's also one of the players who has experienced the transformation of Aston Villa under Emery from the beginning, and I think that matters when you're looking at the balance of this squad. There are so many new faces who are still learning the manager's methods, but Cash understands the demands, knows how Villa want to play and has the experience of performing in some of the biggest games the club have faced in recent years.

Sunday was another occasion when that experience proved invaluable, because Villa needed every player to understand their defensive responsibilities against a Manchester City team with enormous individual quality. Cash was prepared to work relentlessly, support the players around him and make sure one of City's most threatening attacking outlets never really got the better of him.

I appreciate that discussions about the best players in a particular position are always subjective, and supporters will have their own favourites from different periods of Villa's Premier League history. However, when I consider the level Cash is operating at, the opposition he's regularly facing and the consistency he's beginning to demonstrate, I think he's earned the right to be part of that conversation.

For me, he's now at the top of it, and what makes that particularly encouraging is that I don't think we've necessarily seen the end of his development under Emery. He's improving year on year, and if he continues producing performances like the one we saw against Manchester City, it will become increasingly difficult to argue against his place among Villa's best modern-day full-backs.