JAMES Ward-Prowse opened up on being cut from England's squad for the European Championship, admitting: "It was difficult to take."

The Saints skipper appeared a shoo-in for Gareth Southgate's final Euro 2020 squad. Having been initially named in a preliminary 33-man group, most fans expected Ward-Prowse to be part of the inflated 26-man selection for tournament.

However, the 26-year-old was a surprise omission, alongside the likes of fellow outfielders Jesse Lingard, Ben Godfrey and Ollie Watkins.

Despite not being selected for the event, Ward-Prowse remained with the England squad and played in warm-up friendlies against Austria and Romania.

But even when Trent Alexander-Arnold went down injured during the Austria clash and had to withdraw from the squad, it was centre-back Ben White who was selected as his replacement, over Ward-Prowse.

Daily Echo:

That left England with five central midfielders for the tournament in Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham.

Southgate's side went on a magical run to reach the Euro 2020 final, with memorable Wembley wins along the way over the likes of Croatia, Germany and Denmark, before eventually losing on penalties to Italy.

Asked how tough it was to not be part of an England squad to reach a first major final in 55 years, having been heavily involved in the months prior to the event, Ward-Prowse told the Daily Echo: "It was difficult to take and of course watching from home was even harder.

"But it’s football. I gave myself every chance to be in that squad. It wasn’t meant to be but I was proud to watch it as an England fan and an England player who helped them prepare for the tournament."

Ward-Prowse's name was in many headlines over the summer when the dust settled on Euro 2020.

Aston Villa attempted to prise the Saints academy graduate away from the south coast, before the club's captain pledged his allegiance by penning a new long-term contract to stay at St Mary's.

However, despite continuing his remarkable run of consecutive Premier League appearances, which recently passed 100, Ward-Prowse was again left out for the first England squad of the new season.

The Three Lions face Andorra and Hungary next month, with the squad for those matches set to be announced on Thursday.

Asked if he has spoken to Southgate about what he needs to do to get back in the squad and add to his eight senior caps, Ward-Prowse said: "No, I think to a degree talking is a waste of time.

"For me it’s about being on the pitch and showing him why I should be in that squad and ultimately that’s up to him.

"But my main focus is purely on the club and ensuring that I’m doing my job as best as I can to help us progress."