Player Focus: Matthew Lowton - Future England International?

There was a familiar tense atmosphere at Villa Park when Sunderland came to visit, and few were expecting Aston Villa to run riot in the manner that they did in what was an undeniably crucial match in the fight against relegation. A second half Christian Benteke hat-trick again saw the Belgian, who came second in the PFA Young Player of the Year voting to Gareth Bale the night before, again grab the headlines.

The striker became the first Villa player to score 20 goals in a season in nine years since iconic frontman Juan Pablo Angel, and the first Villa player to net a Premier League treble in five. His overall performance was excellent on Monday, plucking balls from the sky and bringing others into play, but the display of another home player on the night should not be overlooked.

A summer signing from Sheffield United, full-back Matthew Lowton had shown promise in the lower leagues, filling the right-back position in the League One Team of the Season for 2011/12.  That spot in Paul Lambert's side was wide open, with Alan Hutton failing to make the position his own last season, and the money spent was enough to suggest that Lowton would go straight into the side.

The fact that he has gone on to play every single minute of the current campaign (3150) - one of just two outfielders, along with England international Leighton Baines, to do so - is a marvellous achievement for a player embarking on his first season in the top-flight. When factoring in Villa's Capital One Cup run, of which Lowton again played a full part, the 23 year old has played more domestic football than any other Premier League player this season (3810 minutes).

His consistency over that time has been commendable, only really having a notable dip in form when the side went through a dire Christmas period. Incidentally it coincided with a spell when Lambert was forced, due to injuries, to play three at the back, with Lowton deployed out of position on the wing and at centre-back in that time.

In the 29 (of 35) starts that he has made in his usual right-back role, the defender has only picked up a WhoScored.com rating below 6.5 twice, with his average rating in those games up at 7.28 (compared to a season average of 7.12). In terms of ratings from games started at right-back, only Manchester United's Rafael has a better figure in the Premier League (7.35).

It was the performance against Sunderland this week that saw him pick up his best figures of the season, however, registering an outstanding 9.27 rating from WhoScored.com in a fantastic all round display. Indeed, of all outfielders in the Premier League it is the third best match rating this season from a player that didn't score.

Lowton picked up an assist for Villa's crucial second, intercepting a loose cross field ball - one of 6 interceptions in the game to help him become only the second Premier League player to make over 100 in the season (103). His chest control has become something of a trademark, teeing him up for both of his volleyed goals from distance this season, and it allowed him to take the ball in his stride. Running toward the vacated centre circle, he waited for Christian Benteke to draw Sunderland's right back out of position before providing an inch perfect lofted ball for Weimann, and the Austrian did the rest.

His contribution on the night didn't end there, however. The full-back had 113 touches - a full 27 more than any other player on the pitch - keeping possession with a near-immaculate 96% pass accuracy. With 4 key passes he again led the way for either side, and a superb 5 successful dribbles was almost twice as many as any other player. Defensively he also made 2 tackles, taking his tally to 102 for the season, which is enough to rank among the Premier League's top 10.

To suggest that Lowton is the finished article would be very premature. At times his positioning has been called into question, while his willingness to get involved in the physical battle that comes with being in a side near the bottom has seen the defender pick up 9 yellow cards over the season. There is, however, enough to his game to suggest that an international call-up shouldn't be out of the question, despite the right-back spot being very hotly contested in the England camp.

Former Villa loanee Kyle Walker is still nipping at the heels of Glen Johnson and would be the obvious replacement for the Liverpool full-back were he to miss out for any reason. While Lowton may not offer the pace and power of the two his reading of the game, highlighted by his interception figures, is exceptional, and like those ahead of him, he's confident in possession. His showing on Monday proved that he is certainly one of the most gifted footballers from a technical aspect at Lambert's disposal, and the player did hint towards a desire to move into a central midfield position upon his arrival at Villa Park.

Lowton's tallies for tackles (102), interceptions (103) and clearances (189) are all understandably in advance of both Johnson (82, 54 and 112) and Walker (70, 79 and 168), having to get through considerably more work due to the club's poor standing in the league, while his key pass and shot averages are consequently lower. The fact, then, that he has contributed to as many goals (2 goals, 3 assists) as Johnson and two more than Walker alludes towards an impressive end product, and his form has led to apparent interest from Arsenal.

While versatility will certainly add weight to his claims for a place in Roy Hodgson's plans, Lowton's ability to link up play and get out of tight situations along the touchline is invaluable to Villa right now. If he can work on his concentration, as well as a tendency to sell himself short at times, there's no reason why the Chesterfield born defender shouldn't strengthen his case as an outsider for England’s 2014 World Cup squad.