Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has sung the praises of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse.

Neville feels the midfielder showed his class once again in the Saints 2-0 win over Norwich City in the Premier League on Friday evening.

"I have to say watching him as a young England under-21 player when i was working with Roy, we were thinking about bringing him up, and at that time he was the right side of a midfield four or in a middle three," Neville told Sky Sports.

"You think of him being one of those three that would run forward, if you said to me that he would be playing in a midfield two, balancing off another central midfield player i would have said i don't see that.

"Seeing him as he played tonight, with maturity and composure, dropping into that false full-back position when the full-backs go forward and he is the one that is dictating the play.

"His understanding of the game is improving, his maturity, and he is getting to that point whereby he is a player and i'm trying to think of another whose career has just gradually got better and better all the way through.

"By the end of his career he'll be a really top player, he's a top player now at Southampton, but he been able to build a real bank of games and develop his game without the big spotlight in terms of a big club.

"I can see it coming for him, I know Southampton fans won't want to hear that, but there has been a lot of talk in the last few months hasn't there about him moving on and taking that next step."