Roy Hodgson identifies ‘big prospect’ for England squad

“He’ll be in our thoughts because we like him very much.” Who is England coach Roy Hodgson talking about? Well here’s a clue. He’s been a breakthrough player for his club this season that have once again flourished, exceeding expectations.

At 20, he’s just signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract with his club, and is a prominent fixture of the England Under-21 team.

This is of course, Southampton starlet James Ward-Prowse, who has hit the headlines with a string of performances which have been beyond his years, capping them recently with a captain’s performance for the Young Lions, including a winning strike against bitter rivals Germany.

Identified exclusively by Coral at the beginning of the season, as one of our players to watch, he is certainly living up to his billing, and England national boss Hodgson seems to agree.

His reasoning for not selecting Ward-Prowse is logical: “We’ve kept our hands off him simply because of the Under-21s, but we know he’s a big prospect.”

Well, Three Lions fans can expect to see him included in the senior squad, following the UEFA’s Under-21 European Championships this summer, which will provide a stage to dazzle, pitting him against some of the finest young players from around the continent, with the team 5/1 second-favourites behind Germany with Coral to emerge as conquerors.

Son of a barrister, 20-year-old Ward-Prowse was born in Portsmouth, raised as a Pompey supporter, though joined Southampton at the age of eight and hasn’t looked back. He is part of a ‘golden generation’ set to roll off the Saints’ production line, mirroring Manchester United’s David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, plus Gary and Phil Neville.