The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Kamil Glik, Jan Bednarek, Krzysztof Piatek, and Wojciech Szczesny are set to receive a new teammate in the Poland national team next month…in the form of Aston Villa defender Matty Cash.
Despite being born and bred as an Englishman – having been born in Slough 24 years ago – Cash is eligible for the Poland national team thanks to his Polish mother. This means that Cash can apply for Polish citizenship, an application that was accepted on Tuesday.
“This is a very important and proud day for me and my family. My application to get a Polish citizenship has been approved by the Polish authorities,” Cash wrote in his Instagram post, “Now it’s time for a new challenge. I will give my all for this country.”
Poland head coach Paulo Sousa was delighted by the enthusiasm shown by Cash’s family in response to the defender potentially representing his national team, saying as quoted from BBC Sport, “Playing in the national team is not only a great responsibility but also something additional, which is very difficult to describe in words.”
Cash has been a regular for Villa in recent times, having been signed on a 5-year contract in September 2020 from Championship side Nottingham Forest. The defender has played in 10 games in all competitions for Villa this season, scoring once in a 3-0 home win against Everton in the Premier League.
The presence of Cash in the Polish defense would undoubtedly provide significant cover for former AS Monaco man Gilk and Southampton man Bednarek, adding more to a backline that also includes Union Berlin’s Tymoteusz Puchacz, Dynamo Kyiv’s Tomasz Kedziora, and Barnsley’s Michal Helik.