JAMES Ward-Prowse believes this is the highest quality squad Saints have EVER had after they qualified for the Europa League and recorded their best Premier League season ever.

Ronald Koeman’s men ended the campaign with a magnificent 4-1 thrashing of FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace at St Mary’s, their FOUTH win in a row which guaranteed them European football for a second successive season.

Not only that, but Saints also recorded their highest ever points tally in the Premier League era, with 63 on the board.

Saints finished the day in fifth and could stay there depending on how Manchester United fare in their re-arranged match at Old Trafford on Tuesday night against AFC Bournemouth, which was a abandoned after a bomb scare.

Ward-Prowse, who recently signed a new long-term contract until 2022 at the club he “loves”, reckons that Saints have entered into a new era.

“The quality of the players is at its highest level ever,” he said. “The unity of the club right from top to bottom is great, everyone’s pushing in the same direction and I think that obviously helps to achieve what we want to achieve.”

He added after an emotional parade lap of St Mary's: "It gives you goose bumps on the back of your neck.  You can just see the unity within everyone."

Saints will now go into the Europa League and could go straight into the group stages if they cling onto fifth – even a sixth-place finish and a United win in the FA Cup final will mean Saints skip the qualification stages.

“It means everything [to qualify],” he said. “You look around the club, the infrastructure of the club from top to bottom it is all built for European football.

“The players and the manager are all geared up for European football, so to be able to finally bring that back to the fans, who deserve European football, is obviously fantastic and we’re looking forward to it.”

Koeman’s high-fliers made it seven wins in nine games against Palace, with goals from Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle, Ryan Bertrand (penalty) and Steven Davis.

Ex-Saint Jason Puncheon netted a superb consolation for the Eagles.

The England Under-21 captain now wants Saints to return to action next season with exactly the same mindset they’ve ended this campaign on.

“Get everyone fit back from the Euros,” he said, when asked what Saints will need to make a flying start next term. “That’s important. Everyone’s got to go away and enjoy playing for their countries. That’s the first thing and coming back with the same mindset.

“We want to improve day by day and try and beat this year’s finish.”

After this latest feat, the 21-year-old academy graduate is more pleased than ever after putting pen-to-paper on a long-term contract “It’s the right place to be. I love the club, I’ve grown up with the club and I love putting the shirt on and running out in front of the fans like today,” he mused.

“To be able to extend that stay and do my best every day to help the team is great. I’m looking forward to next season already now.”