Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse admits they need to ignore the transfer talk for Jose Fonte.

The Portugal international has been linked with a move away from Southampton after handing in a transfer request earlier in January.

“Jose [Fonte] is a massive figure within the dressing room but he's also a top professional," Ward-Prowse told Sky Sports News HQ.

“It has not really been a distraction because we as a group know it's a situation between Jose and the club. It is something that will get resolved sooner rather than later but we know we have massive games coming up.

“We have not been in the best form lately, we have a massive game in the EFL Cup semi-final and we haven't got time to be distracted."