‘Pride of Fulham’ King praised after England call-up
Alvaro Arbeloa described Josh King as “the pride of our club” after the Fulham prospect earned a first senior England call-up.
The 19-year-old travelled to Florida with Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad ahead of the tournament, where England played two friendlies, but was not involved in matches.
He is the first Fulham outfield player to be selected for an England squad since Bobby Zamora.
Whites head coach Arbeloa said: “This is a special moment for him, for us as a club and obviously for our supporters. I think Josh is the pride of our club and our supporters.
“He came to this club when he was eight years old. And now, when you look at him, how he’s playing, how he’s performing, we are really proud of him. So I think it’s a big step for him. I’m so happy for him because he’s a very humble kid.
“You can see every day he wants to improve, he wants to work, he wants to become a better player every day. So I think it’s a special day for him and for all of us.
“I think he’s on the way to become a star; a very, very important player in this world. I’m so happy that I coached him, helped him to develop and reach his level. But he needs to stay humble like he is.”
King has caught the eye for Fulham and has long been regarded as one of England’s brightest prospects.
But England boss Tuchel insisted the youngster has been chosen for his attitude as well as his ability.
“He is just a fantastic character. He gives us a bit of flexibility,” said Tuchel.
“We decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training, if you will.
“He is an exciting player, a versatile player. In pre-season he helped us in training as a full-back, but we will not do that again.
“It is the attitude and the personality.”
