Ward-Prowse issues 'make or break' Hasenhuttl admission

Hasenhuttl was appointed boss in December 2018, guiding the club to a best of 11th-place finish in the Premier League over three seasons.

The Austrian was sacked with Saints in the relegation zone in November 2022 - but the club was unable to stave off the drop that season.

Ward-Prowse labelled it "make or break" with Hasenhuttl, when asked which manager he has worked under had the biggest impact on him.

Speaking to Fozcast, he said: "It's a tough one because the list of managers is great.

Ralph Hasenhuttl managed Saints for nearly four years before his exit in 2022 (Image: PA)

"The one that probably stands out for me is Ralph Hasenhuttl. He came in at a time that was make or break for me.

"I felt that not only at Southampton but for me and whether I was going to go there or go down - I wasn't really playing at the time.

"He came in and put me on the bench in his first game there, and I didn't get on. In the second game, I came on.

"In the third game, at Huddersfield away, he left me out of the squad - I remember sitting in the dugout thinking that's it, 'I am done'. 

"I thought that was me written off with him but in training, I reverted to my work and how I do things to go out and show him.

"The next game was Man City at home, there was an injury so I was playing and after that I played every minute under him.

"His style of play suited me, it was high-energy and there was lots of running. High pressing and getting up the pitch. I think that style really helped me."

Former Saints captain James Ward-Prowse moved to West Ham last summer (Image: PA)

Hasenhuttl's first match as Saints boss took place on December 18, 2018, with Ward-Prowse a late substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Cardiff.

Ward-Prowse was left on the bench versus Arsenal in the next outing - a 3-2 win, returning to the pitch over two weeks later against Man City.

Ward-Prowse also credited former Saints bosses such as Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman, who helped guide the club to Europe.

On Pochettino, the 29 year old admitted: "It was great. He got everyone together and there wasn't anyone copping out.

"I properly appreciate how good he was now that I am a bit older but even then, the level of detail he had was my first insight into that level."

"He was great," he added of Koeman. "I don't really remember much of his playing career, I don't think I was born.

"But he gave us a lot of knowledge and insight into his experience in the game - he would get involved and he could still play by the way."