Former Nottingham Forest player Matty Cash is set to embark on international football with Poland after opting to play for the country where his mother’s parents was born. Following an Instagram post confirming the switch, Jermaine Jenas and Britt Assombalonga responded.
The Aston Villa right-back clearly sees himself as being way down the pecking order for England. Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are all ahead of him in Gareth Southgate’s reckoning.
Now, he has pledged his future to Poland. He will be rubbing shoulders with Robert Lewandowski and could make his debut next month when they face Andorra and Hungary.
Cash has kicked on since leaving Forest. He cost the Villans just £16 million and was inspirational in Dean Smith’s team during 2020/21. The former academy graduate has grasped his Premier League opportunity and looks tailor-made for the top-flight.
The 24-year-old has played in all nine of Villa’s games this season. Now, he will aim to kick on and ensure a regular place in the Poland side ahead of the World Cup in 2022.
It’s unsure at this stage whether or not Forest included an add on based on international appearances when they sold Cash. Fans will now be hoping that there was a clause placed in the deal allowing the Reds an opportunistic cash payment.
What have Assombalonga and Jenas said about former Forest man Cash?
Assombalonga played alongside Cash during his time at Forest. He made a big-money switch to Middlesbrough and now plays for Turkish outfit Adana Demirspor.
He has chosen just one simple emoji to sum up Cash and his latest decision to play for Poland. The applause emoji suggests that he’s chuffed for his old teammate and will watch his progress with intrigue.
Jenas knows all about playing international football. After leaving Forest for Newcastle he was handed a call up to the England squad.
He made 21 appearances for the Three Lions between 2003 and 2009 and remains one of the best players to rise through the Forest academy.
Now a makeshift host on The One Show, Jenas has also responded to Cash on Instagram after his latest announcement.
