Pep Guardiola once referred to James Ward-Prowse as being the "best free-kick taker I have ever seen."

At one stage of his Southampton career, every free-kick the classy 32-year-old was handed felt destined to hit the back of the net.

Indeed, he had an outrageous string of matches in 2020 where he scored three free-kicks in one single month.

Sensationally, a set-piece brace came his way against Aston Villa right at the start of November, and then another golden moment from the free-kick king lit up a St. Mary's clash with Manchester United on the 29th of the same month.

Noting that he used to practice these situations in the garden as a kid when hitting the outrageous milestone of scoring 17 free-kicks in the Premier League alone, Guardiola was well within his rights to praise him so highly.

Since his return to St. Mary's under Tonda Eckert, though, he hasn't dusted off the old free-kick routine, with the number 30 more content with controlling games with a calm authority from the middle of the park.

He has work to do if he wants to reclaim his crown, therefore, as there's another EFL star who leads the way in this specific leaderboard...

Ward-Prowse has work to do

Amazingly, since December 2020, Ward-Prowse falls short of being the frontrunner for most direct free-kicks scored in the top four English leagues.

The entertaining Englishman sits second in the standings with eight under his belt, with Danny Andrew boasting seven, and Marcelino Nunez and Lewis Wing tied on six.

Scott Twine leads the way with an eye-watering 18 direct free-kicks next to his name, with his latest effort coming on Wednesday night, no less, as he opened the scoring for the Robins in typically audacious fashion, before Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled off a 2-1 comeback win.

His ex-Ashton Gate boss Gerhard Struber would label him as a "free-kick monster" and you can see why, as he made his finish against Wolves look effortless.

Ward-Prowse has some catching up to do, that's for sure, as he likely resigns that his free-kick crown has been given over to the unbelievable Twine.

Will we see another JWP free kick?

At the age of 32, Ward-Prowse isn't stealing headlines anymore with his attacking performances.

Since his return to his beloved Saints, he has cut a more cool and assured figure, than a headline-grabbing hero looking to score magical goals.

He did score against Wrexham earlier in the season, but that wasn't a goal reminsicent of the veteran in his Premier League prime.

Instead, he was quick to react and smashed home a rebound, only for Eckert and Co. to lose 2-1 at the death at the Racecourse Ground.

He has also been tireless in his defensive work, during recent victories, instead of leading from the front, with five tackles and duels won, as the Saints gained a bruising three points against West Ham United last month.

Of course, it would be lovely to see Ward-Prowse roll back the years at some point this season and score another memorable free-kick.

But, he will just want to play his part in promotion being won, even if it means he's taking on a more understated role and the front-page free-kicks have dried up for good.