Alvaro Arbeloa has praised Josh King after the 19-year-old midfielder received his first senior England call-up. The Fulham head coach called the club academy graduate their “pride” and believes he could develop into a world-class player.
King was with Thomas Tuchel’s squad in Florida before the World Cup and took part in training, but did not feature in either of the two friendlies.
He became the first Fulham outfield player since Bobby Zamora to be called up to the senior England squad.
Thomas Tuchel called him up for the November matches.
Arbeloa highlighted the significance of the moment for the club:
It is a special moment for him, for us as a club and, of course, for our fans.
I think Josh is the pride of our club and our fans.
He came here when he was eight. Now, when you see how he plays and performs, we are really very proud of him.
It is a big step for him.
I am very happy for him because he is a very humble lad.
Every day you can see how much he wants to progress, work and improve.
So it is a special day for him and for all of us.
The Fulham head coach also said he saw the potential for King to become a future star:
I think he is on his way to becoming a star — a very, very important player in world football.
I am happy to have coached him, helped him develop and reach this level.
But he needs to remain as humble as he is now.
King has long been regarded as one of England’s most promising young players and has already attracted attention with his performances for Fulham.
