Ralph Hasenhuttl in awe of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse | OneFootball

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl labelled James Ward-Prowse ‘a machine’ following his display in Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield.

Midfielder Ward-Prowse lasted the full 90 minutes for the fifth time in 15 days as he led the Saints to a place in the FA Cup fourth round.

Quoted in Southern Daily Echo, Hasenhuttl said: “Prowsey is a machine, always covering the most distance and never tired.

“He also has a fantastic mind and was also a fantastic captain today. You can always count on him, he’s a very important player for us.”

The south coach club have hit a purple patch of form lately, but Hasenhuttl was forced to rotate after a hectic festive period.

He made 10 changes from the team that defeated Tottenham on New Year’s Day, with Ward-Prowse the only player to be retained.

“We made a lot of changes but we had to do this because we nearly played with the same team all the time,” Hasenhuttl said.

“The only one [not rested] was Prowsey but he can handle this because he is absolutely fit.”

The Saints needed two second-half goals to overcome their Chanpionship opponents at St Mary’s Stadium.

Two teenagers came up with the goods, as William Smallbone opened the scoring two minutes after the break before Jake Vokins put the result beyond doubt three minutes from time.