Ward-Prowse is primed for his own Brazil test
IT was late October and Southampton had just secured the latest eyecatching result of their impressive campaign — a deserved 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Their England quartet of Adam Lallana — scorer of the equalising goal — Luke Shaw, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert had all featured but Mauricio Pochettino felt compelled to single out another young Englishman, who had come off the bench, for significant praise.
‘James Ward-Prowse is an example of the player we are promoting here,’ the manager said. ‘He is a figurehead of the sort of player we are looking for at Southampton. He always gives 100 per cent and makes an impact. And he is still growing.’
While Shaw and Lallana were the headline grabbing names at St Mary’s, it would be wrong to overlook the rapid development of Ward-Prowse, a 19-year-old who made 34 Barclays Premier League appearances last season and became a regular for England’s Under21s. His team-mates, with the exception of the injured Rodriguez, may be looking forward to the World Cup but WardProwse has his own international commitments and will face Brazil tomorrow in picturesque Saint-Raphael as England’s adventure in the Toulon Tournament continues.
Thoughts of home, though, are never far away. Pochettino, after all, has been key to Ward-Prowse’s development, so when conversation turns to his club manager, whose future is uncertain amid interest from Tottenham, there is a clear change in the player’s usual bubbly tone.
‘There has been a lot of talk about that,’ said Ward-Prowse. ‘It would be a major blow to lose him — all the players love him. He has played me slightly out of position on the right, so I’ve had to adapt. I’ve had to work on my game going forward, an area I needed to improve.
‘Having done that, he has added another string to my bow. I feel I can now play in a number of different positions but he has not only helped me technically, he’s helped me physically. I am the fittest I’ve ever been in terms of the running he makes us do. We do two or three gym sessions a week that involve a lot of running and running with resistance. He demands a lot from us, and it is hard work, but it has been proved to work. None of us want to see him go. He is a fantastic manager and he has done really well.’
Many would say the same of WardProwse, an articulate son of a barrister who grew up supporting Southampton’s bitter rivals Portsmouth. His clever use of possession was again evident on Thursday as he captained England to a comfortable 3-0 win over Qatar, in their first appearance here since 2005. Bigger tests await, though, because aside from the fixture with Brazil — the contest the FA hoped would come up when they decided to enter Toulon last autumn — England also face South Korea and Colombia.
Finishing first in Group B would secure a place in next Sunday’s final in Avignon and, having seen the Under-17s become European champions on Wednesday, there is no mistaking the determination of these ambitious novices to make a mark of their own.
‘There is no point coming here if you don’t want to win,’ added Ward-Prowse, who grew up idolising Gerrard, Beckham and Lampard. ‘It is good to get the experience (of a tournament) but the winning mentality is what matters — that’s what helps you get trophies and medals.
‘Brazil have quality players. Everyone looks up to them as a footballing nation. They have the qualities and we’ve seen clips of them. Looking at the game, we’ll give them respect but we are here to win the tournament — it doesn’t matter what the opposition is.
‘Last season personally was an improvement and that’s important because it means my development is continuing the way I want it to. As long as I keep doing better than I did the year before, I am on the right track.’