James Ward-Prowse is blessed with all the technical talent a young English player could ask for. Yet, aged 23 and now 154 games into his Premier League career, you have to wonder whether the Southampton midfielder will find a way to consistently convert it into match-winning prowess.
Saints’ FA Cup clash with Fulham on Saturday gave us a snippet of a world where the one-cap England international realises something close to the full extremities of his powers, netting the only goal in a 1-0 win by anticipating a loose ball in the home side’s box and pouncing accordingly.
In addition, Ward-Prowse produced the most efforts at goal and created the most scoring chances of any Southampton player, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side claimed a confidence-boosting win against Championship opposition.
While Saints fans will be pleased to see the young midfielder produce good form, especially amid their struggles in the Premier League, Ward-Prowse’s performance was as frustrating as enjoyable – that irritation being his failure to use his obvious talent to prove the difference on a more consistent basis.
More than anything else, it appears a question of game intelligence, having the nous to get into the positions where his technical talent truly becomes evident.
That goal could well prove to be a turning point for the midfielder, who has struggled for game-time in the Premier League this season. But one thing is for certain; at the age of 23, Ward-Prowse needs to start producing to the levels he’s capable of, like he did against Fulham. Being a tidy footballer alone won’t suffice for too much longer.