Defender confident 'new Aston Villa' will come good despite slow start

Matty Cash has warned it may take time for the “new Villa” to come good after the loss of several key players this summer.

Unai Emery’s team claimed their first point of the season in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Hull but are still waiting for their first goal after missing chances at the MKM Stadium.

Last season’s Europa League winners have embarked on a major rebuild after a transfer window which saw 10 new players signed and several high-profile departures including Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez.

Cash, one of the club’s longest-serving players, is staying positive but acknowledged the scale of the upheaval had not made things easy.

“You don’t want to make excuses, we know circumstances aren’t great,” he said.

“When you lose so many key players in a quick space of time, it is not great.

“I don’t want to make excuses but we need to adapt quickly. We have brought in players who are brilliant and spent money as well.”

Cash smiled when referencing some online criticism he received last week from Arsenal supporters for comments made about the Gunners’ ability to spend big, following their 1-0 win at Villa Park.

Villa splashed out nearly £300m in the transfer window but recouped a similar amount from sales.

Cash explained: “I got a bit hammered by Arsenal fans for saying they spent money.

“But we lost key players, you know what I mean? We are losing six or seven key players who were all starting, so it is going to take time.

“We will be alright. We need to keep working. I don’t want to keep repeating myself. Keep being positive and we will be sweet.”

Villa, who have become just the second team in history to not score in the first three matches in consecutive top-flight seasons, were left to rue missed chances in Hull.

Both John McGinn and Emi Buendia were most culpable, failing to hit the target with just goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis early in the second half.

Villa failed to win any of their first six matches last term before going on to finish fourth and win the club’s first trophy for 30 years.

Cash says those experiences are why nobody should be panicking.

“We know it is different circumstances but last season we struggled at the start and then started to pick it up,” he said.

“It’s a new Villa, isn’t it really? Hopefully we can keep working together on the training pitch and results will come.

“There is pressure. Playing at this level, you have to deal with the pressure and turn it into a privilege.

“I don’t want to keep repeating myself but a point on the road, if you see it like that, could be in a few months people are saying ‘what a good point that was away at Hull’.

“You look at Manchester United. They came here and struggled and lost. To not score is not great but we got a point.”

Villa next head to Club Brugge on Tuesday for their first Champions League fixture and Cash said: “It is a quick turnaround and yeah, we set our sights on that. We then have Nottingham Forest at home and definitely need three points against them.”