Exclusive: Aston Villa's Matty Cash reveals favourite Premier League full-backs - ‘Unbelievable footballer’

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It has been quite a week for Matty Cash. The Aston Villa defender followed up his winning goal against Manchester City by committing his long-term future to the club after signing a contract extension. Speaking in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, the Poland international discussed a range of topics and revealed his favourite full-backs in the Premier League who have inspired him.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Matty Cash is enjoying quite the week in his Premier League career.

The 28-year-old scored the winning goal in Aston Villa's victory over Manchester City on Sunday, and followed it up by extending his contract with the club just a few days later.

The defender's strike has also been nominated for the Premier League's Goal of the Month for October.

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Cash will be looking to continue his fine form when Villa travel to Premier League champions Liverpool on Saturday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Cash discussed a range of topics and one of them involved his favourite full-backs in the Premier League.

The Poland international mentioned three players and described one individual as "one of the best" in the Premier League era.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Cash detailed how the full-back role has changed as the Premier League has evolved, and different managers have implemented their philosophy on the game.

"The game has definitely changed," Cash explained. "When I first came to Villa, full-backs were just overlapping, getting high up the pitch and not worrying about what was behind them.

"As the years have gone on, you’re starting to see Pep [Guardiola] playing full-backs in a more inside role, and we’ve also seen teams play with inverted full-backs with the likes of Pedro Porro at Tottenham.

"But now there is a more tactical side to it thanks to the likes of Unai [Emery] and others in the game in general.

"As a full-back now, you have to be ready to change your roles and play as a deeper full-back at times when you’re playing against teams who play with quick wingers and stay high up, and you need to be more wary of them rather than doing your own thing.

"You also have to make wingers worried about you as a full-back because there are times when you can attack, overlap and join the play. Tactically at Villa, what the manager has done is fantastic, where we have roles and responsibilities, and we adjust tactically to who and when we’re playing."

There has been a surge in the importance of full-backs in the game in recent years, with Dani Carvajal playing a key role for Real Madrid and Spain in their recent success, while Achraf Hakimi was an integral part of Paris Saint-Germain winning a historic Treble last season, which included their first UEFA Champions League title.

Cash also detailed how he studies his contemporaries in the game and highlighted three Premier League greats at the full-back position.

"I love watching full-backs and study their game a lot in different scenarios – it could be one-v-one defending or how they engage wingers – and I try and add that to my game," he said.

"I love watching Reece James because I think he is a fantastic footballer, and he’s an unbelievable defender as well. I also like watching Trent [Alexander-Arnold] but I think Kyle Walker has been one of the best full-backs that the Premier League has ever seen.

"I just try and add to my game along with my qualities and what I know I do well, and I try and put it all together. I do a lot of studying of full-backs to see what they do well and what I can do better."

'They’ll miss someone like him'

Cash and his Villa team-mates will be hopeful of adding to Liverpool's Premier League woes at Anfield on Saturday.

Arne Slot's side suffered their fourth defeat in a row in the league against Brentford last week and Villa will leapfrog the reigning champions with a win at Anfield.

In her regular column with TNT Sports, Lionesses legend Fara Williams acknowledged that Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure to Real Madrid had played a role in Liverpool's recent slump and Cash also pointed to the defender's absence.