Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘Prowsey’s Lions snub drives him’
SOUTHAMPTON manager Ralph Hasenhuttl believes that being snubbed by England will only inspire James WardProwse to new heights.
Ward-Prowse was left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros and has so far been unable to fight his way back into contention.
Hasenhuttl (below) said: “When a player does a good job for two years, he deserves to be in the international team but England have a lot of very good players. It is not always a decision against a player, sometimes it is a decision in favour of somebody else who is also not so bad.
“With his success, Gareth has the right to say, ‘I did a good job with selecting the team’.
“It is tough for Prowsey not being part of, but he has to keep on going. You never know, suddenly you get the chance and you are in. I am still thinking he can develop a lot of things in his game
and he is not on the limit. I do not see the limit yet for Prowsey, he is still able to learn things and get even better.
“This is what he has to do. Everybody wants to be an international, it is the highlight for every player – for sure, this is extra motivation for him.”
Ward-Prowse is set to play in his 101st successive Premier League game when Saints host Wolves today.
Hasenhuttl said: “He has not missed a minute so far this season. But that does not mean I am not allowed to sub him anymore!
“The last two weeks he has been struggling a little bit with his stomach, after a change of diet. We have to take care.
“He is a very important player. When I came here, he was not even part of the squad, which was tough for him.
“He transformed his game completely and showed how good he can be. For us he is the perfect captain and everybody loves him.”