James Ward-Prowse Southampton 2021-22Getty Images

Southampton's Ward-Prowse on free-kicks: I only practice six per week!

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse has revealed he only practices six free-kicks a week, despite his reputation as a prolific scorer of set-pieces.

The England international is closing in on David Beckham's Premier League record after another season filled with top-drawer finishes from such situations.

Yet he has now dropped a nugget of information revealing that he does not spend his time agonising over his routines in training.

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What has Ward-Prowse said about his free-kick routine?

"Quite a bit, quite a bit," Ward-Prowse told Sky Sports when asked how frequently his set-piece skills are discussed by team-mates and fans. "I think it's something that comes with scoring them, really.

"But I'm a football fan, a football lover so talking about them is not a problem for me. It's normally once a week [in terms of practice]. I try and maybe do six a week.

"I think it's a nice number to finish on. You don't get many opportunities in a game regardless, so what's the point practicing 20 a week?"

How close is Ward-Prowse to Beckham's record?

With 14 goals from direct free-kicks in the Premier League to date, the England international is fast approaching a record held by his Three Lions predecessor.

Manchester United legend Beckham built a brilliant reputation for club and country as a set-piece master, and leads with 18.

That would leave Ward-Prowse needing just five more successful finishes to overtake him and enter the history books.

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