Southampton's season can really be looked at in two parts as they completely transformed their poor fortune around Christmas to the point where they now almost safe from relegation.

James Ward-Prowse's form has encapsulated that, with the midfielder struggling at first before becoming one of the Saints' most important players, to the point where fans were relieved after a bit of positive injury news in recent weeks.

The midfielder earned a call-up to the England squad at the beginning of the season yet in early October fans were quick to criticise the 25-year-old following a 2-1 home defeat that left the Saints in the relegation zone with two wins from 12 league games.

Not long after that came the fateful 9-0 home defeat to Leicester. Many fans rightly faced the wrath of supporters afterwards, and Ward-Prowse was included in that after the match.

It took a big effort from the management and squad to turn things around after that point, with big wins over Aston Villa and Chelsea around Christmas making things a whole lot rosier for the south coast outfit.

Watch Southampton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

A New Year's Day win over Tottenham made their position look even better, and suddenly there was a different outlook on Ward-Prowse.

A month later he was forced off in a match against Tottenham. Supporters by this point would have naturally feared the worst, and the fact that they were so relieved that he wasn't badly hurt shows how he managed to turn around fan opinion.

Most recently, an accomplished display against Aston Villa made fans sure that the midfielder was indeed a really valuable asset all along, and the praise for his display shows how highly regarded he is currently.

Meanwhile, here is how Southampton fans reacted to an exciting signing back in 2018...