JAMES Ward-Prowse says he feels "in a really good place" as he nervously waits to discover whether he has made the cut for England's Euro 2020 squad.
The Saints skipper completed the remarkable feat of playing every Premier League minute for the second season in succession, with 90 minutes for his side at West Ham United on Sunday.
But the 26-year-old is hoping his season is not quite done yet as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his 26-man England squad tomorrow.
Ward-Prowse has six senior caps for his country, and scored his first Three Lions goal during the last international break in March, netting against San Marino at Wembley.
The midfielder made his England bow in 2017, but had to wait two years for his next call-up as he battled for his place in the Saints squad.
Ralph Hasenhuttl replaced Mark Hughes as Saints boss in December 2018 and Ward-Prowse did not make the matchday squad for the Austrian's third game in charge – a 3-1 win at Huddersfield – something he described as a "rock bottom" moment.
But he battled his way back into contention and has not looked back since, becoming captain last year and the first name on the teamsheet every week.
Speaking to the FA last month about the early weeks under Hasenhuttl, Ward-Prowse said: "I was in a really difficult position. I didn't know where to turn in terms of my career.
"I had a lot of difficulties, trying to regain some form and trying to play regularly. I think that was a big moment for me to realise that with the change of manager, things weren't going to change as well as I wanted it to and that I had to revert back to the training pitch and show everybody that I was willing to fight and to show that I was able to play under this manager.
"That was a big moment where I had to kind of step back and I remember on the way back from Huddersfield having a really good, hard think about how I would be going forward and how I could change to use this as a springboard to be better."
He added: "I just did a lot of thinking myself. It was a real rock-bottom moment for me, but a great moment looking back at it to realise, actually, I need to change something, I need to do something different and work harder than I've ever worked before."
Asked if he always believed he could make that breakthrough into the senior England squad again, even when he was struggling for regular minutes at Saints, Ward-Prowse told the Daily Echo: "You can’t think about England unless you do well for your club. So at that moment in time I wasn’t even thinking about England, I was more focused about playing for Southampton and to get in that team and to show the England manager why I should be there.
"It’s not an easy journey. You’re going to have ups and downs, you’re going to have challenges come your way and you have to be mentally resilient, you have to be strong and believe in yourself.
"Up to now I’ve done that and I feel as though I’m in a really good place."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel