Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash should be available for selection against Arsenal after sustaining a minor injury at the weekend, Ashley Preece says. 

The lowdown

Cash started against Wolves on Saturday and played 79 minutes before he was substituted, with Ashley Young coming on in his place.

Manager Dean Smith revealed after the game that he'd been forced off with a dead leg.

Cash is a mainstay of the Villa side, with his Wolves injury threatening to disrupt a 100% Premier League starting record.

Going by WhoScored metrics, the 24-year-old has been his side's third best player so far this season.  Nobody in the squad has made more tackles per 90 minutes.

Cash, incidentally, ranks in Villa's top-six earners with a reported weekly salary of £65,000.

The latest

Addressing supporters in a Birmingham Live fan Q&A, Preece wrote: "[I] expect Matty Cash to shake off a dead leg for Arsenal on Friday."

Meanwhile, an update on the fitness of winger Leon Bailey is expected in Dean Smith's press conference on Thursday.

The verdict

This will surely come as a relief to Villa supporters. Young would have been able to deputise, but it's clear that Cash is one of Smith's most trusted lieutenants.

And they need to muster a response on Friday night against a 12th-placed Arsenal side, having conceded three times in 15 minutes in a dramatic late collapse after Cash's withdrawal on Saturday.

If Bailey is available for selection too, they'll probably fancy their chances.

In other news, this Villa starlet is being monitored.