James Ward-Prowse waxes lyrical about Manchester United legend David Beckham as record beckons

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is looking to surpass Manchester United icon David Beckham's record for most free-kicks scored in the Premier League.

Ward-Prowse has emerged as arguably the best dead-ball specialist in the English top-flight in recent years. Beckham is currently top of the list for most Premier League free-kicks scored with 18, though Ward-Prowse is just six shy of equalling his boyhood hero's tally.

The Southampton man has admitted he used to spend his time trying to emulate Beckham's free-kicks as a child. He claimed he's hoping to surpass the former England captain's record and wants to meet the man himself he achieves the feat.

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He told PA : “That would be an incredible achievement and it’s a good lesson for me in life that if you work hard at a particular skill you can reap the rewards of it. To beat someone like that I think would be incredibly impressive, but the funny thing is Beckham obviously went on to play in other countries and I’ve had a long time in the Premier League.

"I think it speaks a lot about his quality. It’s a good target to have in the back of my mind.

“Being English and seeing the magical moments that he’s created in an England shirt, he was the one I would race out into the garden to try and emulate and copy. I had a few of his hairstyles as well along the way and the boots.

“I’d love to meet him one day and have a coffee and a chat and just pick his brains. Hopefully if I can reach the record then hopefully he may reach out. We’ll see."

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