Manchester United have been linked with a move for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse recently and if the England international were to join Erik ten Hag's side this summer, he could prove to be the next David Beckham at Old Trafford.

According to The Sun, United are keeping a close eye on the 27-year-old after another impressive campaign with the Saints, which saw him register his best-ever goal tally in the top flight.

The midfielder would contribute 10 goals and five assists in 36 Premier League appearances for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side, averaging a strong 7.01 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Not only did this rank him as the best performing player in Southampton's squad, but if he had produced the same performances in the United side, he would've only been narrowly behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, which suggests that he could be a quality addition to Ten Hag's team.

Having graduated from Southampton's well-renowned academy, Ward-Prowse has gone on to make 362 appearances for the first team, in which he has contributed 44 goals and 48 assists, including some incredible free-kicks.

Only Beckham has scored more free-kicks than the Southampton man in the Premier League era and it would surely be fitting if Ward-Prowse would break his record in a United shirt.

The similarities between the two players are clear to see, they both established themselves as legends at their respective clubs after progressing through the academy, they have both played for England in midfield and both are extremely dangerous from set-piece situations.

Last season saw Ward-Prowse's midfield partner Oriol Romeu sing his praises, as he said:

“He is an unbelievable player, the way he works.

“He always finds a good option, he never gives the ball away, he works the hardest, he runs the longest."

 

Given that United are low on midfield options following the departures of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic, the signing of the £75m Ward-Prowse would make a lot of sense and given his impressive attributes, there seems little reason why he couldn't establish himself as a legend at United in the same way that Beckham did.

And, in other news: Man United could unearth their own Mahrez as ten Hag nears "unreal" £40m signing