Southampton: Three current players that are vital to Saints’ future

James Ward-Prowse

Before Ralph Hasenhuttl became the Saints manager in December 2019, it was unclear just what type of player James Ward-Prowse was supposed to be.

He had been utilised defensively in midfield, as a box-to-box player, on the right flank and as a creative midfielder with limited success before, but Hasenhuttl has really started to get the talent flowing from the England international.

Used as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s partner in the centre of the pitch most often, Ward-Prowse can now be seen driving his team forward, snapping into tackles and contributing goals from open play.

His set-piece abilities have always been there, but his newly developed skills and his knowledge of the club as an academy graduate will be invaluable too from now on.