James Ward-Prowse says England Under-21s’ preparations for the Euro Finals starts now, after victory in Kazakhstan sealed their qualification.
The Southampton midfielder helped orchestrate a deserved win over their group rivals in Aktobe, and with a game to spare against Bosnia & Herzegovina next week, Ward-Prowse is keen to make the most of every opportunity.
And after tasting disappointment in the last Euros in Czech Republic in 2015, Ward-Prowse is determined the Three Lions will head to Poland in good shape and ready for the challenge.
Kazakhstan 0-1 England
UEFA European U21 Championship
Group 9 Qualifier
Thursday 6 October
Central Stadium, Aktobe
"Knowing that we’re in the finals now, the preparation for that starts and we’ve booked our plane tickets so we need to make sure we prepare right," he told FATV.
"That will start on Tuesday [against Bosnia & Herzegovina] and we’ll do everything we can to perfect our way of playing."
England knew that a win on Thursday was always going to be enough to secure qualification, but Ward-Prowse admits they were made to work for their result.
"We knew from the last time that we played them it was going to be a very difficult game," he admitted.
"It was hard to break them down, and there was the whole experience of coming here and having to adapt to the conditions and the atmosphere.
"I think the longer the game went on, the more it suited the hosts, but we were clinical in front of goal and took that chance.
"We could have been more clinical in front of goal, but we’re just delighted to get the win.
"It was a big test for us, but it’s a real way of building our character and it puts us in good stead to finish the campaign off on Tuesday."
