Josh King was always one of the best players in his age group. “At national level,” explains Charlie Turnbull, his coach at Fulham’s academy for five seasons between his U10s and U14s, of Sky Sports. But there was another quality that set him apart.
“One of the things that stood out about Josh is that whenever the level went up, whenever there was a pressure game, he loved it,” Turnbull adds. “He loved it when things got tough. He loved it when there was a little extra pressure.
“He loved it. He wanted to feel the pressure was on him and the onus was on him to produce for the team. He loved that. You always saw Josh’s best when it was first. I never saw him not perform in those circumstances.
“We would play tournaments in France, Spain and Portugal, against the giants of Europe, and then the staff from each club would have to pick the best player they had seen over the weekend. I remember Josh winning that accolade more than once.”
King’s temperament is now part of his appeal to Thomas Tuchel, who called him up for England ahead of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. “It’s the attitude and the personality,” he said last week. Everything points to a possible debut against Croatia or Spain.
Tuchel sees a bright future for King, who has represented England at every level from U15s upwards. There is another champion in Alvaro Arbeloa. “He has everything to become one of the best players in the world,” said the Fulham boss after his call-up.
Turnbull nods in agreement at the mention of that Arbeloa comment. “Development is never a straight line, so you can never predict. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think he could play at the highest level of the game when I was working with him.”
His talent sparked interest from elsewhere.
“Chelsea was considered the best academy in the country at the time,” says Turnbull. “They were generally able to bring in any player they wanted. We were aware of the interest but you never thought it would materialize because Josh and his family never had it.”
Turnbull, who recently worked as Kieran McKenna’s assistant at Ipswich, talks about the role of King’s parents Michelle, a university lecturer, and Steve, a lawyer, in keeping him grounded. He mentions King’s private education and his multi-sport background as well.
“If all you have is football as a young player, it piles even more pressure on your shoulders than if your identity is bigger than that,” he says. “And I think that’s something that his mom and dad have taken very deliberate steps to try to cure over time.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Josh King believes his versatility was part of his appeal to Thomas Tuchel
He describes King as having a “level of maturity that was not typical for boys his age” – and an ability to adapt. “Interestingly, for someone who works so hard and is really open to learning, his game hasn’t changed that much. It was fully formed when I met him.
“The most obvious thing with Josh, and you’re seeing it now in the Premier League, is the way he moves. The way he turns and changes direction is probably his standout attribute.
“His receiving skills are also elite. There’s no arguing about that. His ability to receive the ball in small spaces and be able to hold onto the ball and keep going forward, twisting, beating and beating the opposition is Premier League high I’d say.”
The King has displayed these qualities regularly for Fulham since making his old breakthrough under Marco Silva. It is a testament to his ability that he has played more Premier League minutes than any other teenager in the last two seasons.
Just like in his academy days, he has happily taken on additional responsibilities this season. King has more involvement in goals than any other Fulham player and ranks high in several other attacking areas, reflecting his importance to the team in the No.10 position.
His success comes as no surprise to Turnbull. But there are pleasures in some of the parts of his game in which King continues to show improvement. “The two big areas we focused on in his development plan were his swing and his left side,” he says.
Fulham carefully tailored his training programme. Turnbull describes King leaving the group sessions for focused shooting practice. The fruits of that work at the junior level are now evident in his ability to generate immense power with minimal rear lift.
His goal against Chelsea, when he beat Robert Sanchez at his near post, was a case in point. Others include a spectacular volley from outside the box by Lukas Hornicek against Newcastle and a thunderous strike against the post against Coventry.
King also has a knack for arriving at the right place at the right time. He ranks behind only Erling Haaland for touches in the opposition box in the Premier League this season.
Josh King has had 60 touches in the box this season
“It was the same throughout his youth career,” says Turnbull. “He gets into those positions so easily because of his intellect, his positioning and his movement. His ability to get into those positions is world-class. He has a fantastic instinct for it.”
The only disappointment, if there is one, is that he hasn’t scored more goals. “Maybe to take himself to the next level he’s just got to be more decisive when he gets into those positions because he’s certainly getting there enough,” Turnbull added.
His shooting continues to be an area of focus under Arbeloa. The Spaniard has used the King almost exclusively in the No. 10 position this season. But Tuchel has spoken of the value of his versatility and Turnbull sees his future a bit further back.
Fulham’s Josh King celebrates after scoring against Crystal Palace
“I think maybe his best position will end up being No.8.
“So not a number 10, not a six, but someone who goes box-to-box, who can contribute in the final third but who can also contribute in the build-up.
“Because one of his best attributes is definitely his ability to get the ball on the rise. He’s so difficult to get off the ball and his understanding of how to progress the game is of a very high standard.
“You’d like to be able to maximize that, but you wouldn’t want to stop him from getting to the final third as well. I think he can do everything. In an ideal world, you’d like him to be there for the lift, then follow the play down the field.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Álvaro Arbeloa gives his reaction to Josh King’s England call-up
The extent of King’s potential is made all the more enticing by the fact that, at 19 years old, he still has room for physical development.
“He was always what we call in academy circles ‘under-matured’, playing against a lot of kids who were physically stronger,” says Turnbull. “There’s a lot of research that shows that it’s a positive thing, if you’re immature and you’re still surviving.
“And Josh not only survived, he thrived.
“I look at Josh and I still think he’s not even close to developing into the athlete he’s going to be. And that’s a great thought because he’s performing so well in the Premier League already.
“I think there’s a lot to come from him.”