James Ward-Prowse Injury: Updates on Southampton Star's Foot and Return

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

Ward-Prowse took to Twitter to provide an update on his recovery:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 30

James Ward-Prowse has had surgery on his damaged foot, meaning he can begin the road to full recovery.

The Southampton midfielder posted the following tweet on Tuesday:

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Southampton and England youth international midfielder James Ward-Prowse is expected to miss around three months of action due to a foot injury.

The club confirmed on Twitter that the rising star is going to remain sidelined for 10-to-12 weeks while the foot heals:

Ward-Prowse thanked fans for their support amid the minor setback:

The Daily Mirror provided comments from manager Ronald Koeman, who said the midfielder should keep his head up despite the tough situation: "We're very disappointed about that, but that's football and that can happen. It's unlucky but okay. The boy has to keep going and it's difficult because he had a great start to the season, but it's part of the football and he will come back."

Ward-Prowse had appeared in all five of the club's Premier League fixtures, including four starts. He continued to showcase improvement, tallying two assists in the early stages of the new campaign, matching his total from all season in league play.

At 19, his best days are still ahead. He spent his youth career in the Southampton academy before getting his initial taste of first-team action during the 2011-12 term. His role has steadily increased since that point, and he was proving worthy of the starting spot before getting hurt.

There's no reason to rush him back at this stage of the season. The last thing the Saints want to see is some type of chronic issue develop because he was eager to play again. So they will likely play it safe, making sure he's all the way back to 100 percent before getting back into a match.

Once that happens, it shouldn't take long for him to regain his place in the starting XI. He was off to a solid start, and the only way for him to continue the upward trend is consistent playing time at both the club and the international levels.

For now, however, Ward-Prowse waits for the completion of the healing process so he can continue his intriguing development.