Southampton have needed Ward-Prowse for years - now, he needs them

I’m no international footballer but, from other life experiences, it was that familiar sinking feeling of the worst possible scenario – but one you had imagined, pondered and suspected for a while – being confirmed.

While the initial emptiness eventually makes way for sadness and regret, it likely does so with a washing period of anger. From what we know of Ward-Prowse, most of that will be self-directed.

As England’s lions linked up today ahead of tomorrow’s flight to Doha, the 28-year-old will have and will go on to replay in his mind the moments in which he feels he has let himself down this season.

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The tournament that should have been played in the summer – which would have meant Ward-Prowse went into it as a Premier League player of the year nominee and selection shoo-in – is his second disappointment.

"It was difficult to take," Ward-Prowse said, after narrowly missing out on a call to be part of the eventual European Championship finalists last summer.

"It was kind of trying to find that balance of where I was, but I had to use that as motivation to raise my levels, even more, to make sure I don't miss out on another one."

Part of the preliminary squad – and playing in four of five England games that year prior to the tournament – Ward-Prowse could not have been any closer to the squad for the eventual finalists without actually being in it.

“I want to be there and want to be part of this fantastic group and replicate the success we had,” Ward-Prowse added, of the upcoming World Cup.

But, having played every minute of the Premier League season so far – as he so often does – he has failed to deliver the performances that saw him nominated alongside Jarrod Bowen and six others from the ‘big six’ clubs in May.

His season began with a trademark opener versus Tottenham but has largely stalled there – bar a couple of deliveries versus Leicester City and most recently Liverpool, which came after the squad selection was made.

Ward-Prowse has effectively lost his place to the younger Conor Gallagher, who excelled last season on loan at Crystal Palace but equally is yet to display his best football now back at parent club Chelsea.

Southgate’s decision is one that looks forward to future tournaments on England’s behalf, despite the fact he probably will not be there himself, and on form, Ward-Prowse cannot feel hard done by.

But I do not doubt that the second time around it hurts even more, and will leave the mind searching.

The worry is if some of that anger finds itself in stray thoughts towards the way he has been, in part, not best assisted by his beloved club in the most critical few months of his individual career.

Ward-Prowse is the model pro, as new manager Nathan Jones exampled in his first press conference at the helm of Saints last week – less than 24 hours after Ward-Prowse’s gut-wrenching omission.

"We spoke yesterday and look, although he's bitterly disappointed, the professionalism (Ward-Prowse) showed yesterday was really admirable," the Welshman explained.

But large parts of the player leadership group were ultimately dissatisfied with the club’s management towards the back end of last season.

Ward-Prowse was the go-to player for the club to put in front of post-match media after a tough result but the frequency of his appearances reduced dramatically this term – Romain Perraud and Joe Aribo among those in his place.

Oriol Romeu – the other safe pair of hands – was given a sentimental move to Girona on deadline day after seven years of service, even after Romeo Lavia was ruled out for eight weeks with a muscle injury.

Ward-Prowse may well have been strongly in favour of the Spaniard – his stalwart midfield partner – getting his return home to play for a Catalonian side in the top division.

But it undoubtedly left the Englishman a little bit stuck. With no Lavia, it meant a double-pivot of Ibrahima Diallo or the still-learning Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

The former has been proven not to work efficiently in this way and the latter was described by Ralph Hasenhuttl as having “a lot of work to do” to be ready.

In the build-up to the World Cup, Ward-Prowse was left with more to do in midfield than he ever had before – bearing in mind the team still could barely win a game since February anyway – and it showed.

Regardless of who is playing around you, it does not take complete control over your feet and lead to wayward passing, some of which we saw at Anfield on Saturday. But a bold recruitment plan and eventual club crisis do not give you the best platform.

“Ward-Prowse is out, isn’t he? The poor guy,” former England international Ben Foster said, on a recent episode of his YouTube podcast.

“I think if he played for one of the (bigger clubs, of which he includes Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur) he would be in there ahead of Conor Gallagher.

“The fact he is playing for Southampton, who are struggling, is the reason he’s not gone, which is a shame for him," he concludes, showing an outsider’s view.

Ward-Prowse could not have done much more to commit to the club amid interest from elsewhere, with the most serious being a £25million bid from Aston Villa that was laughed out of the room last summer.

The academy graduate signed new five-year contracts in both 2020 and 2021 to protect his value as an asset and ward off those potential suitors - while obviously improving his own situation too.

As a result, Ward-Prowse has written himself into the history books at what is a proud, historic club. James Beattie and Matt Le Tissier never really got a fair crack at England either, did they?

Without Ward-Prowse’s 10 goals, which themselves accounted for eight points, Saints would have been relegated into the Championship alongside Watford and Norwich last season.

I commented this summer that Sport Republic must show players like Ward-Prowse serious ambition to persuade them to stay with the club for the length of their careers.

His stock has probably diminished but given his physical reliability, exceptional attitude and infamy from the dead ball; he would never be without admirers.

Saints boss Jones added: "I spoke about his role moving forward in terms of the leader he needs to be here and that I would like him to be here.

“The influence he can have off the pitch and obviously the influence he can have on the team in terms of playing. He's buying into that.”

Just as Saints have needed him to drag them from dark depths, Ward-Prowse, who will be nearly 30 by the time Euro 2024 comes around and 32 ahead of the next World Cup, now needs Saints to help him ascend again.

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