James Ward-Prowse on adapting to his role as Saints skipper

At 26, Ward-Prowse is the second youngest captain in the Premier League, behind only Jack Grealish.

The Saints academy graduate took the armband from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in June of last year, after the Dane announced his intention to leave the club.

Since, Ward-Prowse has played every minute for Saints and will hope to be part of Gareth Southgate's final 26-man England squad, due to be announced tomorrow.

Speaking to The Super 6 podcast, Adam Lallana admitted being named Saints captain at such a young age was something that took some getting used to.

Under Nigel Adkins, Lallana skippered the side at just 24-years-old, during the club's first season back in the Premier League, in 2012.

"I was 24, I was so naive. I was captain but I didn't know what captain material was," Lallana said.

"I was just being myself.

"It was a little bit of a weight on my shoulders. It took me a year or so to adapt because subconsciously I thought I needed to do more on the pitch when I was captain, whereas you don't need to do any more.

"I feel you just need to be yourself and that's enough.

"I was trying to do too much and I gradually learned to deal with it and just ignored the armband."

Asked if he feels age matters when it comes to captaincy, Ward-Prowse said: "I think it’s got to go to the right character, for sure. I don't believe that age matters at all.

"I think it can be a little bit daunting sometimes if you are young and you’re trying to speak to an older player about certain things because he’s more experienced and he might know a little bit more about you.

"But I think as a leader you have to trust in your abilities to lead.

"You’ve been put in that position for a reason and you have to take that responsibility with courage and enjoy the role."

Ward-Prowse is competing with fellow midfielders Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Jude Bellingham for a spot in Southgate's Euro 2020 squad.