Aston Villa defender Matty Cash has picked up a possible injury setback while on international duty with Poland this week.
The 28-year-old was replaced at half-time in his country’s 3-1 win over Finland on Sunday, having scored in consecutive games as he has enjoyed a productive international break.
READ MORE: Trio of Villa stalwarts impress on international duty with stand-out impacts
However, as per Przeglad Sportowy, Poland boss Jan Urban discussed Cash’s injury blow after the game in his post-match press conference, and it seems as though Villa could now face an anxious wait to determine whether or not the blow will sideline the right-back this weekend when we travel to Everton in the Premier League.
“He suffered a severe contusion from a foul, which doctors and physiotherapists treated him for. It’s a typical knee injury to the quadriceps. The longer you run with something like that, the harder it starts to harden,” Urban told the media.
“He was limping towards the end of the first half. Despite that, he wanted to play on. I personally convinced him to make a substitution.
“I substituted him at halftime, and I think it was a good decision—both mine and his—that he agreed to the change and wasn’t stubborn about playing. Well, he wouldn’t have lasted much longer. I’ve had similar injuries myself. It’s only a matter of time before you can’t run anymore.”
Given the fact that Cash was eager to play on is a positive sign that it was a precautionary measure from Urban, but further tests and how the knock heals in the coming days will ultimately determine whether or not the Villa defender is at Unai Emery’s disposal on Saturday.
It will be a concern for the Villa boss given Andres Garcia has yet to feature this season after suffering an injury setback of his own over the summer, which in turn resulted in a severely limited pre-season for the Spaniard.
Talented youngster Triston Rowe was loaned out to Annecy ahead of the transfer deadline, and so if Cash isn’t available for selection or perhaps has to settle for a place on the bench on Merseyside this weekend, Emery could be forced to shift Ezri Konsa across to right-back and new signing Victor Lindelof will perhaps take his spot in the heart of the Villa backline to make his debut.
Lamare Bogarde is an alternative option while it remains to be seen if Garcia is still unavailable, but the positive thing is that Villa do have alternative solutions, and time will tell which Emery feels is the most suitable for this particular encounter, should Cash be ruled out or be limited to a bench role.
We’ll know more when Emery speaks to the press on Friday ahead of our clash with the Toffees, with Villa desperately in need of a good performance and three points to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing start to the campaign thus far.
Want more Villa analysis? TalkVilla+ has now launched! Subscribe below for ad-free newsletters, exclusive articles and much more. The TalkVilla podcast is also now live, have a listen, and subscribe if you enjoy on Apple Podcasts or YouTube. UTV!
