Josh King: Fulham's age-defying breakout star who could be England's answer to Barcelona sensation Pedri

Born and raised in south-west London, King has always been Fulham. He joined the academy at the age of eight in 2015, with his parents driving him to training and away games. It's clear he was earmarked for success very early, too; after progressing through the junior age grades, King was fast-tracked into the Under-18s at 15, earning regular minutes in the 2022-23 season and even collecting a goal and assist across nine appearances in the U18 Premier League.

After beginning the next campaign with the U18s he was swiftly bumped up again, punching well above his weight as he mixed it with the U21s in PL 2, again making a tangible impact as he bagged three goals under the tutelage of ex-Crystal Palace and West Ham midfielder Hayden Mullins, whom he credits for his development.

By early February 2024, King had done enough to earn first-team recognition as Silva included the midfielder in his squads for Premier League clashes against Burnley and Bournemouth, although he wouldn't make it off the bench.

Given his swift progress through the ranks, King will have long been in the consciousness of Fulham fans who have been excitedly awaiting his first-team breakthrough. He took a significant stride towards that goal at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, as he studied for A-levels in French, maths and psychology, as he was handed his professional debut as a substitute against Birmingham in the Carabao Cup.

The youngster would have to be patient for an opportunity in the Premier League, but Silva handed him his bow in a 10-minute cameo against Brighton in December and a full debut soon followed when struggling Southampton visited the capital just before Christmas, as King played more than an hour in a goalless draw.

Although he would make a number of other brief first-team appearances and started the FA Cup fourth round win over Wigan, this wasn't a precursor to a mid-season breakthrough as Fulham pushed on to a record Premier League points tally under their Portuguese tactician, but it's clear there was a plan. "Josh is a top talent we have on our hands that we have to keep giving these experiences to," Silva said in February. "I think he showed his quality, his bravery and the way he can play between the lines."

This season, though, has been a different story. A frugal transfer window (which was described as "passive" by Silva), where the Cottagers only made one permanent signing and long-serving midfielder Andreas Pereira returned to his native Brazil, opened the door for the 18-year-old - and it's an opportunity he has seized with both hands.

A new long-term contract in July preceded an impressive pre-season where he started all three of Fulham's friendly matches and even scored against Saudi giants Al-Ittihad. Now, King is enjoying a breakout having started every single Premier League game so far in the No.10 role, remarkably keeping club-record signing Emile Smith Rowe out of the XI. Having played for England throughout the age grades, he's already earned a call-up to the U21s.

Not only has he caught the eye with his performances, but he's already been at the centre of a number of contentious and unfortunate moments, too - most notably having a dream first competitive goal ruled out against west London rivals Chelsea following a hugely controversial intervention by the VAR, who adjudged that there had been a foul in the build-up. The teenager has also been booked twice in two games for simulation and he was bizarrely denied a penalty when his shot was clearly blocked by Matty Cash's arm against Aston Villa.

Against Brentford, his stray pass was pounced upon to gift the Bees the opening goal, but he responded by playing a key role in a comeback victory. "I was very pleased with the way he reacted," Silva said afterwards. "Again, for a difficult moment when he made a mistake like he did in that moment, of course, that is normal; it was a bad moment for him for sure, but the reaction pleased me really well because it is not easy. It doesn't surprise me, to be honest. Football is going to test him, and the response from him was very good and I am very pleased."

It's clear that King's mentality and levelheadedness are two of his key attributes, beyond his obvious technical prowess. "For a young player that is 18 years old, it is always nice to see some maturity in that moment, that composure, to keep doing the good things that you were doing before," Silva continued.

"It is another thing that is natural. Josh is very young and everybody recognises the quality that he has and everybody is supporting him, not just the technical staff, his teammates as well, and it just was a natural reaction."

When it comes to pure footballing ability, King has already proven himself to be a wonderful ball-carrier, boasting the kind of cultured technique and calmness under pressure that belie his tender years. Describing himself as a "pocket player" who "likes to receive the ball on the back foot" and "drive", he is able to drift past opponents and manipulate the ball almost effortlessly, making him a natural fit for the attacking midfield role.

However, he also has the versatility to play both deeper or out wide, even wearing 24 on his back because it is the sum of the numbers six, eight and 10.

King's incident-packed baptism of fire in the Premier League shows us that he still has plenty to work on, despite his eye-catching performances. He will have learned quickly that you can't get away with the kind of error he made against Brentford at this level, with Silva clearly aware that those kinds of moments form part of a steep learning curve.

He will also have understood from his two yellow cards for simulation that he needs to be smarter or cuter in certain situations. Both of those bookings were harsh, and the decisions could have gone the other way had he perhaps been a little less obvious in his intentions and movements, provoking a more natural coming together.

In terms of his all-round game, King will obviously want to work on his physicality as his body continues to develop, and it is surely only a matter of time before he starts to add senior goals and assists to his repertoire with luck very much against him so far in his budding senior career.

We'll caveat this by saying that King won't necessarily reach Pedri's level - arguably the finest midfielder on the planet at the moment - but he could be England's answer to the Barcelona star. 

There are undoubted similarities between the pair in terms of profile and technique; both are diminutive players, and while not the fastest, they use body feints and swerves to outfox and run clear of their opponents, caressing the ball with the outside of their right boot with their socks slung low.

The Barca man's passing range is second to none, but that is something King could hone from a deeper position as more of an orchestrator, and they share that knack of being able to burst forward from midfield with the ball at their feet, with both capable playing as either a No.8 or No.10.

Fulham and indeed England will have some player on their hands if he can come anywhere close to reaching the esteemed Spaniard's level, but he is undeniably cut from the same cloth and - given his age-defying displays at 18 - you wouldn't bet against him reaching the very highest echelons of the game.

Fulham will be thrilled to have already tied King to a new contract in the summer before he grabbed the limelight with his outstanding performances so far this season, meaning they have no reason to worry about any of the league's big hitters sniffing around him, for the time being at least.

The player told FFCtv after putting pen to paper in July: "I've been at the club for about 13 years now, so it's a long, long time, and I'm just delighted to be continuing and staying for another four years. I say to my family it's like a second home, and it's such a nice feeling to be able to stay here."

He added to West London Sport in August: "Most conversations you have are dependent on your performances. We've had conversations about minutes and trying to play more this season. I'm really behind the goal which we're trying to achieve, and I think if I continue to work hard and perform in training and in games then hopefully I'll get more opportunities."

With his future settled, King will simply be hoping for more of the same. It seems he can already focus on nailing down his starting place rather than worrying about his first-team status, and if his luck changes it will be just a matter of time before he is influencing games in a more tangible way with goals and assists.