The Southampton midfielder, who has previously captained the Three Lions at U19 and U20 level, was named by boss Gareth Southgate as his new skipper on Tuesday.
England v USA
International Match
7.45pm, Thursday 3 September 2015
Deepdale, Preston North End
Live on BT Sport
Tickets £10 for adults, £5 for juniors
Call 0844 856 1966 or e-mail ticketoffice@pne.com
And with the U21s starting their season with a friendly against USA’s U23 side in Preston on Thursday, Southgate believes Ward-Prowse is the ideal choice as the road to Poland 2017 starts on Monday against Norway.
"James captained us last year in a couple of games and he’s one of a couple of the more senior and experienced players who could have done it," said Southgate.
"His values are good and his ability as a player makes him an exciting prospect and he integrates well with the other players.
"We saw with Jack [Butland] last year that we had an excellent captain because he brought that group together, and James will be the captain for the period that he is with us."
Ward-Prowse was a regular in the Three Lions midfield during the campaign, and featured once in the Euro Finals in Czech Republic.
With that experience under his belt, his popularity around the squad and the respect he has from the new members of the group, Southgate says it was a straightforward decision.
But the head coach also revealed he has a group of the squad’s other more senior members involved with Ward-Prowse as a ‘leadership group’ who can relate with the staff throughout the campaign.
"It’s good to bring others into the process," added Southgate.
"I’m going to try and involve some more of the players in a leadership group, because I think it’s important that we start to develop more leaders.
"That’s a good dynamic for them to come to the fore."
Tickets for the game at Deepdale are priced at just £10 for adults and £5 for children, with a family ticket (two adults and two children) costing £20 and group bookings of 15+ working out at £5 for adults and £1 for children.
Season ticket holders at Deepdale can also claim half price tickets and concessions for U18s, over 65s and students (on production of valid ID) are £5.
Call 0844 856 1966 for details or e-mail: ticketoffice@pne.com
