James Ward-Prowse: England U21 star has the confidence to shine

With James Ward-Prowse in action for England at the European Under-21 Championship this summer, Adam Bate spoke to his former coaches Nigel Adkins and Peter Taylor to find out what makes the Southampton midfielder such an exciting prospect…

James Ward-Prowse fancies himself as an impressionist. “When we got promoted to the Premier League, we had an end-of-season do,” former Southampton boss Nigel Adkins told Sky Sports. “James Ward-Prowse impersonated me. He would take me off really well and the lads loved it. He was super. He’s a confident lad but so down to earth.”

Confident barely covers it. Ward-Prowse was only 17-years-old and hadn’t even featured in the team’s march to promotion from the Championship in 2012. But he was in the team by the first game of the following season against Premier League champions Manchester City. In a sense, he’d been thrown in at the deep end, but for Adkins it was a natural progression for a player of such promise.

“We’d had James training with us since he was a 15-year-old,” Adkins added. “We’d played him in the previous season in the League Cup and Prowsey had scored in that game. We saw a talent there and we wanted to nurture it. So it wasn’t like he was thrown in on the first day of the season. For two years prior to that he’d been involved.

He has an unbelievable attitude. It’s the sort of attitude everyone should aspire to have.

“He has an unbelievable attitude. It’s the sort of attitude everyone should aspire to have. When he trains, the warm-up is the same as the game. He trains so hard and he’s extracting every ounce of ability he’s got. He’ll run all day. He’s someone who I can’t speak highly enough of when it comes to attitude. He’s applied himself and he’s got the ability to back it up. It’s the dream model.”

Perhaps it’s that professionalism that Gareth Southgate is counting upon in the Czech Republic. After starting in England's group opener against Portugal, Ward-Prowse was left on the sidelines for the win over Sweden. It's been a test of his temperament but the youngster seems like someone on whom any coach can rely. Southgate doesn’t have to take Southampton’s word for it either. The player has tournament experience with England already.

Peter Taylor took Ward-Prowse to Turkey for the Under-20 World Cup in 2013 and remembers the midfielder fondly. “He’s a very funny lad to have around the place,” Taylor told Sky Sports. “He takes off a lot of people and he’s quite funny with it. When I speak to people at Southampton, I always tell them how much I enjoyed working with him and they absolutely adore him there.”

It’s not difficult to see why. Ward-Prowse took further steps forward in his progression in 2014/15, earning a new contract in January, and has admitted he is enjoying training more than ever under current Saints boss Ronald Koeman. The respect is mutual. “I like him a lot as a player,” says the Dutchman. “His attacking threat gives us more chances to play.”

Raheem Sterling is the only other player yet to turn 21 who contributed more than two assists in the Premier League in 2014/15. Ward-Prowse managed six of them – a feat matched by only eight other Englishmen of any age – and finally scored for the first time with his penalty against Hull in April. Then there is that set-piece delivery that has brought comparisons with David Beckham.

“He’s outstanding,” said Taylor. “You know the delivery is going to be good when James is on the ball. He’s gone and practised it. It’s not just about set-plays either. I was delighted when he scored for Southampton because he does score goals. He’s not done that yet for the first team but he’s got that ability. He’s a young player who’s just growing and growing and it’s great to see.”

Such is Ward-Prowse’s flexibility, there could even be a conundrum working out where to play him. “I see him more as a central player,” said Taylor. “He’s sharp enough but he’s not rapid quick. It’s his intelligence that’s good. I see him as a player who can play in a three-man midfield or as one of the two in a 4-2-3-1.” Adkins, meanwhile, believes Ward-Prowse has the ability to play anywhere.

“We played him central midfielder or as the No 10 off the striker,” added the ex-Saints boss. “I know at Southampton he’s also played on the right but as a football player you need to be able to move around. Maybe you start on a piece of paper on the right but if you make the run then all of a sudden you’re on the left. James is intelligent and he can do that. For me, he’s an all-round player.”

This summer has provided the chance to show that in an English shirt at the European Under-21 Championship and continue his encouraging development. James Ward-Prowse does a lot of impressions. But most importantly, he’s doing a very good impression of a quality English footballer.