The Saints’ £13.5m ace has two caps for the Three Lions and has a good working relationship with Gareth Southgate.
Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse has expressed his hopes of representing England this summer at the UEFA Nations League.
The Three Lions begin their quest for silverware in the fledgling competition at the beginning of June when they travel to the Netherlands to face Ronald Koeman’s charges in the semi-finals.
Should they triumph over the Oranje, Gareth Southgate’s charges will then face either Portugal or Switzerland in the final, a superb opportunity to follow up on their run to the semi-finals of the World Cup just under a year ago.
Ward-Prowse knows Southgate from their time in the England Under-21s and, having progressed immensely under Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton, he will be hoping to add to his two caps, having made a nine-minute cameo in March’s European Qualifier against Montenegro (Transfermarkt).
“I’m hopeful,” he told the Daily Echo. “You want to represent your country at every opportunity. It will be a chance, in an England shirt, to win some silverware. I will be desperate to be a part of the squad but that’s out of my hands. I have to do what I do for the club and if I do that well, then hopefully that call will come.
“[Southgate] obviously knows me well from the Under-21s days and he knows what character I am off the pitch and what I can bring onto the pitch. It’s a good relationship and it’s nice to be in the squad when he is the manager because you know he creates a great environment for players to go out and express themselves.”
Ward-Prowse was called up for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro.after Manchester City pair John Stones and Fabian Delph and Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek withdrew due to injury.
For Southampton, the 24-year-old – valued at £13.5million by Transfermarkt – has made 25 appearances this season, scoring seven goals according to the stats website, while his 233 senior games for the Saints overall have yielded 19 goals and 28 assists.
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