World Cup-Bound James At St George's

Ward-Prowse was last week named in Head Coach Peter Taylor's final 21-man party for the tournament having previously been selected for an initial 35-strong group.

The 18-year-old midfielder is the second-youngest member of the squad, but has made the most Premier League appearances of the 21 players making the trip to Turkey.

James had previously travelled to Chester for a five-day training camp at the end of May before making the cut when the squad was trimmed by 14 players.

The youngster has now met up with his international teammates at St George's Park for a few days' training, and will return to Southampton later in the week.

He will then reconvene with the Under-20s at St George's next Monday before they fly out to Turkey on Wednesday 12th June for their final preparations ahead of the tournament.

The Young Lions will be based in Antalya for their first fortnight in the country before moving to Bursa ahead of their final group-stage fixture.

England have never won the U20 World Cup, achieving a tournament-best finish of third place in 1993.

But, with a squad containing the likes of Gael Bigirimana (Newcastle), Ross Barkley (Everton), Harry Kane (Spurs) and Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), Taylor's team looks well-equipped to perform in Turkey.

England have been drawn in Group E, where they will face Iraq, Chile and Egypt. Their group-stage schedule is as follows:

Sunday 23rd June 2013, 7pm BST kick-off

England U20s vs Iraq U20s – Akdeniz University Stadium, Antalya

Wednesday 26th June 2013, 4pm BST kick-off

Chile U20s vs England U20s – Akdeniz University Stadium, Antalya

Saturday 29th June 2013, 7pm BST kick-off

Egypt U20s vs England U20s – Atatürk Stadium, Bursa

The knockout stage will then take place from 2nd July onwards, with the eventual final being staged at Galatasary's Ali Sami Yen Arena in Istanbul on 13th July.

To follow Ward-Prowse's progress in the tournament, stay tuned to saintsfc.co.uk and our official Twitter account, @SouthamptonFC.