How ex-Derby County star Eiran Cashin got on during his PL debut with Brighton | OneFootball

The centre-back played for the first time on Wednesday evening as the Seagulls were beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa.

Eiran Cashin made his long-awaited debut for Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday evening against Aston Villa, following his departure from Derby County in the January transfer window.

The centre-back joined the Seagulls for a reported £9m, with the Rams making quick work of spending some of that money on Sondre Langas, with the Norwegian defender leaving Viking FK for Pride Park just a day later for £4m.

While an exciting transfer for Cashin, it took him a little bit longer than he would have hoped for to get out on the pitch in blue-and-white, and he ended his two-month wait without a game against Villa at the Amex Stadium.

However, his new club were beaten 3-0 by the Champions League quarter-finalists and it proved to be a learning curve for the 23-year-old. Football League World has taken a look at some of the key stats and moments during the match involving the former Derby ace.

Cashin did not get off to the best of starts in the Premier League

Brighton were already 1-0 down by the time Cashin came on to make his Premier League debut, with Marcus Rashford scoring his first goal in the division for Aston Villa shortly after half-time.

Lewis Dunk was brought off for the Seagulls' new number 16 in the 72nd minute, and just moments later he was tested for the first time as Matty Cash played a long-ball down Albion's left flank towards Morgan Rogers.

The debutant committed to the ball, and missed it completely, allowing the Villa star to carry the ball down the wing and find Marco Asensio with a low cross, and the Spaniard made no mistake in firing a shot into the bottom corner.

It was a tough moment for Cashin, but as is the case in the Premier League, he was not able to rest and he was targeted again in the 100th minute of the game as Donyell Malen received the ball on the right and eased past the defender and struck in a vicious effort to make it 3-0.

The £9m man looked to struggle with the pace of the game and he failed to attempt a single tackle, while also losing three of his five duels.

Nevertheless, he will only improve with time and it was clear to see that his lack of football since leaving Derby had an impact on his ability to read the game.

Cashin reflects on tough debut for Brighton

It was not the first experience of the top flight that Cashin would have wanted, and he knows what he has to do to improve for his next appearance.

Time on the training pitch will only help, while he may just be looking forward to a full pre-season with Brighton in the summer to gel more with his teammates.

The pace of the Premier League is much quicker than the Championship and it will take time to adjust, and Cashin acknowledged that he has much to learn on his Instagram following the defeat.

He wrote: "Nice to make my PL debut for the Club last night.. not how I hoped it would go but a good learning experience nonetheless. Thanks to the fans for giving me a good reception👏🔵⚪️"

Derby supporters will know just how much more the centre-back has to show his new club, and they will be keeping a keen eye on his next game, while hoping that he is more of his usual self.