England legend Tony Adams would like to have seen former club Arsenal capture Matty Cash when he left Nottingham Forest this summer.
Cash has made the step up to the Premier League look effortless since joining Aston Villa in a £14m move from the Reds.
The right-back has been earning high praise for his impressive performances in the top-flight, having cemented a place in Dean Smith’s starting XI.
He put in a standout display as his team triumphed 3-0 away to the Gunners on Sunday, and made a big impression on Arsenal great Adams.
Working as a pundit on Sky Sports News, Adams said: “Look at Villa, the right-back Matty Cash the other night. Wow. Slough boy. Dagenham & Redbridge. He’s gone to Nottingham Forest. What a player. He’s 23.
“(Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang was in his pocket.
“Athletic, strong, what a great player.
“I thought that was a fantastic right-back performance and I would have loved him in an Arsenal shirt.”
Cash has started all seven of Villa’s Premier League games so far this season, playing a key role as they sit sixth in the table.
He told Villa TV last month: "No disrespect to the Championship but the quality of the wingers you come up against in the Premier League are next level and the pace they have is really hard to deal with.
"But I back myself in one-v-one situations and that's what I'll do. You've gotta train hard in the week and, when it comes to the weekend, you've gotta know to be ready and I feel like I'm doing that.”
