Newly-appointed England U21 captain James Ward-Prowse has revealed that he is using WhatsApp to keep the group united and motivated following the Euro 2015 debacle.

The Southampton star has taken over the armband of Gareth Southgate's squad from goalkeeper Jack Butland and is hoping to rebuild the team spirit in the squad after their poor performance in the Czech Republic this past summer.

"It's vital," said the 20-year-old. "You are going to have ups and downs and it's about making sure the team comes together.

"We have a WhatsApp group set up on our phones, so it's a pretty efficient way of keeping everyone together."

Emotionally it was very difficult to handle after working so hard for two years.

"It's now a case of dealing with the disappointment."