Friday 17 March 2017 16:25, UK
Southampton boss Claude Puel has revealed he played a trick on James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond before telling the pair they had been called up to the England squad.
Ward-Prowse and Redmond thought they were in trouble when the Frenchman hauled them into his office, with Puel teasing the uncapped pair before giving them the good news that they were in Gareth Southgate's squad for the forthcoming internationals against Germany and Lithuania.
"I told them I had a problem with their attitude in the training session, and to ask their opinion," said the Frenchman ahead of the Super Sunday clash with Tottenham, live on Sky Sports.
"Then after I told them the news I said I couldn't understand why.
"But of course it's fantastic for them and for the club. It's a good thing for them and congratulations to them and to the club.
"All the staff who train them have been important for their progress and it's a good reward for all."
Ward-Prowse has been with Southampton since the age of eight, and the club celebrated his call-up by posting a video of him as a 13-year-old stating his desire to play for England one day.
"The policy in this club for a lot of seasons has been to work with quality, for the promotion and evolution of young players, and it's important we continue," added Puel.
"He's an intelligent player, he wants to make progress. It's easy to train James.
"For Nathan, he's also a talented player, but sometimes he didn't listen enough. But he has made progress since the beginning of the season.
"It's important he understands he has all the quality to become a very good striker with his feet and his quality. He can score all the goals and give good assists. It's a good reward for them and their work."
Watch Tottenham v Southampton this weekend. Coverage of the Super Sunday game starts at 1pm on Sky Sports 1 HD, followed by Manchester City v Liverpool.
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