Last week England manager Gareth Southgate named his squad for the upcoming Nations League ties, and Southampton saw James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond called into the squad.
Southampton fans were naturally pleased with the selections given how well both players have come on under the charge of Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and both calls are certainly deserved.
With plenty of praise already doing the rounds on social media, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson was left raving about Redmond’s call as he finally looks to have kicked on and added a real end product to his game.
The 25-year-old has featured 43 times during the 2018/19 campaign, chipping in with nine goals across all competitions and four assists in the Premier League itself. Writing in the Daily Star recently, the former England and Arsenal man stated Redmond had been our ‘best player’ across the season and he felt his confidence was now flying given how he ended the year.
“Nathan Redmond deserves his place in the England squad. I think he’s improved immensely. He’s been Southampton’s best player this season by far. He’s worked really hard. His confidence has impressed me. He can go past people and he makes better decisions. Last year he was a bit of a ‘head down’ player. Now he knows when to pass it. He gets people out of their seats. The manager has given him belief, and that’s important. He’s done his time in the Under-21s and he’s always turned up. He hasn’t pulled out of squads because he didn’t fancy it.”
Let’s hope he seizes the opportunity with both hands.
