James Ward-Prowse

Volkswagon


The midfielder stops to take a picture with a fan after his training session.

Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, he joined Southampton's famous football academy at the age of eight years old. The up-and-comer featured in every fixture for the under-18 team in the 2010/11 season before being called up for the senior-team in October 2011. The Englishman made his full debut for Southampton at the age of sixteen in a League Cup tie against Crystal Palace. He scored his first goal for The Saints in his second appearance for the club in a 2-1 win over Coventry City in the third-round of the FA Cup. Upon the club's promotion to the Premier League, the midfielder was offered his first professional contract which he duly signed. He made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2012/13 season in a 3-2 defeat against reigning champions Manchester City, the eighteen year old made 15 league appearances through out the season but most of them came as a substitute to the youngsters dismay. Things would begin to change under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, the midfielder started to see more game-time as he made 34 appearances and bagged 2 assists in Southampton's 2013/14 Premier League campaign. After an injury had derailed his momentum and caused him to miss the first part of the 2014/15 campaign the midfielder was back in the fold as soon as he was declared fit to play, his 25 appearances during the rest of the season would yield a solitary goal and 7 assists. The Englishman would go strength-to-strength in the next four seasons for The Saints' racking up 120 Premier League appearances, scoring 16 and assisting 11 goals.