Southampton duo James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond will have the chance to win silverware with England, having been named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming Nations League finals.
The pair have been called up to the same Three Lions squad together for the first time in more than two years, though Ward-Prowse was included for the most recent round of Euro 2020 qualifiers, earning his second cap in the process.
Redmond, whose tally of 38 Under-21 caps is England’s third-highest at that level, won his only senior cap to date in a friendly with Germany in March 2017 – also the scene of Ward-Prowse’s debut.
The only confirmed fixture at this point for Southgate’s side is the Nations League semi-final against Netherlands on Thursday 6th June, taking place in the Portuguese city of Guimaraes.
England will then face Switzerland or host nation Portugal on Sunday 9th June – either in the final or the third-place play-off, depending on the semi-final results.
Southgate has named an initial 27-man group, which will be cut down to 23 when the squad heads to Portugal ahead of the semi-final with the Netherlands.
Ward-Prowse and Redmond were influential in Saints’ Premier League survival push. The pair scored 16 goals between them, all following the December arrival of Ralph Hasenhüttl as manager, helping to propel the team clear of danger.
Academy graduate Ward-Prowse was twice shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Month award, in January and March, and reinforced his reputation as a dead-ball specialist with spectacular free-kicks in successive games against Manchester United and Tottenham.
Redmond’s energetic displays earned the rejuvenated forward the fans’ and players’ votes as Southampton’s Player of the Year, finishing as Saints’ top scorer with nine goals – his career best in a season.