"He’s made for them" - Garth Crooks urges Liverpool to sign English midfielder
BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has urged Liverpool to sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
The 63-year-old heaped praise on his recent displays against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and feels he's a perfect fit for the Merseysiders.
The Saints beat Spurs in a stunning 3-2 comeback victory before holding the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw recently, with Ward-Prowse shining in both games for his side.
The 27-year-old even made two assists against the north London outfit as he continued his fine run of form.
In all competitions, he's struck six goals and made seven assists in 26 games so far, drawing him enormous plaudits.
Garth Crooks on Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse:
“I've been singing the praises of this gifted midfielder for some time now, and his performances for Southampton only seem to get better. I don't know what Liverpool are waiting for - he's made for them.” #awlive [bbc] https://t.co/8h2kmQD9WL
Crooks also weighed in with more puffery while stating that he could be a good signing for Liverpool. He wrote on BBC Sport:
“Southampton clearly enjoy playing in Manchester.
“They gained a point against City earlier in the season and more than deserved a point against United. The man at the heart of a splendid week for the Saints was, without doubt, Ward-Prowse.
“He was outstanding against Tottenham in midweek, producing two excellent assists.
“I’ve been singing the praises of this gifted midfielder for some time now, and his performances for Southampton only seem to get better. I don’t know what Liverpool are waiting for – he’s made for them.”
A product of Southampton's youth academy, Ward-Prowse broke into their senior team in 2011 at just 17 and hasn't looked back since.
He's accumulated 348 caps in all competitions so far, scoring 39 goals and making 47 assists in the process.
The midfielder also holds the record for playing every minute of consecutive Premier League seasons, starting in all 38 games of their 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Liverpool don't need Ward-Prowse right now
As attractive as it may seem, Liverpool don't need Ward-Prowse right now.
Jurgen Klopp has some solid options in midfield with Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson all doing a fine job, while Naby Keita and Curtis Jones have also impressed.
vs Crystal Palace
vs West Ham
vs Man City
James Ward-Prowse has now scored or assisted in six of his last seven Premier League games:
⚽️ vs Crystal Palace
⚽️🅰️ vs West Ham
⚽️ vs Spurs
🅰️ vs Brentford
⚽️ vs Wolves
❌ vs Man City
🅰️🅰️ vs Tottenham
In serious form. https://t.co/6RDwNJIs4S
Crooks has also talked about the England international possibly replacing Georginio Wijnaldum's position last month.
But as things stand, the Reds are a well-oiled unit and are unlikely to pursue the player this summer.