James Ward-Prowse vows to lead like Steven Gerrard ahead of England U21s' crunch European Championship clash with Slovakia in Kielce

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There is a clear image in James Ward-Prowse’s mind of the perfect captain’s display and his eyes light up when he describes it.

‘Steven Gerrard in the Champions League final,’ says the skipper of England Under 21s. 

‘That was the great one. It typifies everything that a midfielder should be: a box-to-box player who can defend and get forward and score goals. He set the tempo and was the leader on and off the pitch.’

James Ward-Prowse has vowed to lead by example for England Under 21s out in Poland

The Liverpool legend, of course, came up trumps against AC Milan in 2005 and at other times during his stellar career. 

Now Ward-Prowse will draw inspiration from one of his idols on Monday evening as he leads England into their defining moment after a stuttering start against Sweden. 

Lose to Slovakia, the leaders of Group A following their shock opening 2-1 win over hosts Poland, and another Under 21 European Championship will end with England getting home before the postcards. The pressure is on this squad to deliver.

Given he wears the armband, this young man from Southampton is ready to lead from the front.

‘As captain you naturally want to go out and take the game by storm,’ he said, when holding court at England’s plush base.

Ward-Prowse will be the representative and mouthpiece of his side during the tournament

‘If you’re not up for group games at the European finals then there is something wrong. We have got to give everything when we cross that white line. I had that experience when I went up to the seniors against Germany in March. I could see the senior players stepping up and transferring the manager’s messages on to the pitch. You are captain for a reason and you have to set the example.

‘We know what we need to do. We didn’t pick up the three points in the first game but this is a great opportunity to pick up three points against Slovakia. We were disappointed after the game against Sweden because we know the levels we can reach.’

Ward-Prowse is also eager to right the wrong of two years ago in the Czech Republic when his tournament ended after 55 minutes of the opening defeat to Portugal. He was substituted after an underwhelming display and was never sighted again.

‘I went away and in the long run it was a very good thing to happen to me,’ he stressed. ‘It was a wake-up call.’

The example of Steven Gerrard's leadership in Istanbul is something Ward-Prowse aspires to

This time Ward-Prowse is one of the linchpins of Aidy Boothroyd’s group and his ability to deliver dead balls into the penalty area will be critical against Slovakia.

Preparations for the game have been intense with senior head coach Gareth Southgate watching training on Sunday, along with FA technical director Dan Ashworth.

‘Gareth Southgate has been around and spoke to us,’ said Ward-Prowse. ‘He wants to show us support and give us that confidence.’

Boothroyd has a fully fit squad from which to choose his team. He has yet to decide on his starting line-up but one thing he is sure on is what must happen.

‘This is a must-win game,’ he insisted. ‘This is now knockout football.’