Southampton: £100k-per-week star now has ‘a lot of responsibility’ at St. Mary’s | OneFootball

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GiveMeSport

·8 February 2023

Southampton: £100k-per-week star now has ‘a lot of responsibility’ at St. Mary’s

Article image:Southampton: £100k-per-week star now has ‘a lot of responsibility’ at St. Mary’s

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse has “a lot of responsibility on him” to try and turn the side’s fortunes around at St. Mary’s this season, journalist Dean Jones has suggested to GiveMeSport.

The Saints currently find themselves at the bottom of the Premier League table as Nathan Jones looks to keep the south coast outfit in the top flight.


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It has been an extremely difficult campaign for Southampton this time around, with the prospect of relegation a very real threat having won just four games out of a possible 21 this campaign.

Any chances of survival are likely to be dictated by the performances of captain Ward-Prowse, who is now into his 12th season as a senior professional for the south coast outfit.

Under-fire boss Jones heaped plenty of praise on the £100k-per-week earner last month, following a 2-1 victory at Everton in which the midfielder scored the winner with a trademark free kick, telling the Daily Echo: “My first conversation with him was ten minutes after he didn’t get picked for the England squad. Since that moment, he’s been absolutely world-class for me. The way he reacted and the performances you’re seeing now, it’s really motivated and driven.”

Dean Jones has previously suggested to GiveMeSport that Ward-Prowse could remain at St. Mary’s until the end of his career and now believes that the 11-cap England international will “have more determination” than anyone to keep the club in the Premier League.

What has Dean Jones said about Ward-Prowse?

When asked about Ward-Prowse’s role in keeping Southampton in the top flight, Jones told GiveMeSport: “There's a lot of responsibility on him here to try and do that. I'm not sure if it's fair, but ultimately, he is Mr. Southampton. I imagine, he'll have more determination to ensure that this does turn around than anybody else at the club.”

How has Ward-Prowse performed for Southampton this season?

Without the help of Ward-Prowse, Southampton could have found themselves cut well adrift of safety by now and have been indebted to their captain on numerous occasions this campaign.

The Saints academy product has played in 100% of available Premier League minutes this season, hitting the back of the net five times whilst providing two assists in 21 appearances, suggesting that he is capable of chipping in with vital goal contributions.

The versatile midfielder has earned himself an average WhoScored rating of 6.94 for his displays in the top flight this campaign, which ranks him as the squad’s best-performing player, indicating his importance to Southampton’s chances of staying up.

Therefore, whether Ward-Prowse likes it or not, he will likely be taking on the most responsibility in the side as the Saints desperately scramble to try and secure their Premier League safety.

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