Josh King points to academic and rugby background as route into Tuchel’s England plans

Fulham attacking midfielder Josh King, 19, is in the England squad for the Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain this week and has described how an atypical upbringing and academic achievements have helped his progress into Thomas Tuchel’s thinking.

King spoke about his family and education background, saying his mother, Michelle, is a university lecturer and is almost finished with a PhD in sickle cell disease and that his father, Steve, is a lawyer. He was privately educated at Hampton School in south-west London, achieved A or A* in 10 GCSEs and sat A-levels in French, maths and psychology part-time, earning grades of A, C and D while completing the exams in a hotel suite in Romania during the European Under-19 Championship.

King links his academic skills to his footballing development and said: “It definitely has an impact … I know my mum would probably say so.” He added that being able to take on information quickly has helped him communicate with teammates of different ages and adapt on the pitch.

His club breakthrough came in 2025-26 when he appeared in 32 of Fulham’s 38 Premier League matches, starting 15, and that form led to Thomas Tuchel inviting him to England’s pre-World Cup camp in Florida for the first time. King did not play in either of the friendlies during that camp but described the experience as invaluable and motivating, and this season he has been ever-present in Fulham’s starting league team.

Tuchel has a range of options in the No 10 role and the article lists Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White among them; it also notes the manager cannot find room for Phil Foden or Cole Palmer but wanted to assess King during the camp. Tuchel has experimented with King’s versatility in training, using him as an option off the wings, as a No 9 and once as a full-back in Florida sessions, though he promised not to use him at full-back during the current week.

Reflecting on senior players at the camp, King said: “There were a lot of people I learned from in Florida and Jude [Bellingham] was a standout. He took me under his wing and really tried to make me feel welcome. Harry Kane did, as well. The main thing you take [from all the players] is the standards they set. The way they perform every day. The will to win, the competitive edge. Then there were the technical things – the way some people strike the ball, the way they pass. It was little things that you almost take without thinking but they have an impact.” He also explained he had been due to be in Florida on a family holiday because his mother was booked to speak at a conference about her PhD and that he was pleased to turn it into a work trip.

King detailed other influences on his game, recalling that he played as a rugby union fly-half in his youth and saying: “That’s definitely contributed. In terms of your movement, your ability to manoeuvre the ball, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination … obviously as a fly-half, I used to do a lot of kicking. Football was always my passion and I was better at football. I would love to play a bit of rugby after my career because it’s quite physical. I don’t want to get injured!” He named Jamal Musiala and Pedri as players he has taken cues from, has previously spoken of admiration for Andrés Iniesta, and praised Jude Bellingham as someone he looks up to.

King joined Fulham at age eight and idolised Tom Cairney; as an 11-year-old he was a mascot who walked out at Craven Cottage holding Cairney’s hand and can now call him a teammate. He described Fulham as “like a second home to me” and recalled continuity in his youth coaching, naming Charlie Turnbull as a coach who worked with him for five straight years from under-10s to under-14s.

King remains part of the England squad for this week’s Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain, continuing his integration into Tuchel’s plans after the Florida camp and his 2025-26 breakthrough at Fulham.