There is a special group of teenagers depicted in Premier League folklore. Wayne Rooney comes to mind with his immortalized comment:Remember the name!“when he scored Everton against Arsenal at 16 years old. Cesc Fabregas broke into Arsenal at 17 years old. Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Owen burst onto the Premier League scene at 18 at United.
For longevity? Eat James Milnerwho debuted in 2002 at the age of 16 and continues to perform to this day. Fans of every club have memories of witnessing the homegrown youngster's debut and everyone hopes he becomes the next big thing.
The teenager making the most headlines in the Premier League this season is Stephen V Chelsea. The Brazilian, who signed for £29 million, scored a wonderful goal against Barcelona and demonstrated some stunning moments of skill to herald him as the new prodigy. But the 18-year-old, described by sporting directors and agents as an outstanding player, is already done. Fulham: midfielder Josh King.
Making it into 2025 as a teenager is tougher than ever, but of all the players it is King who has the most Premier League minutes this season (830).
“Boys this age don't get these opportunities with such regularity unless they have incredible talent,” said one agent. “We've seen this since Lewis Miley a couple of seasons ago then Kobby Mainubut he was a little older.
“More often than not, you see young players coming off the bench for a few minutes or starting matches away from the spine of the team. But being in the center of the park? Well, this is something special.”
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Looking at the records of the 17 and 18 year olds last season, Arsenal Ethan Nwaneri (then 17) and Miles Lewis-Skelly (18) obtained 889 and 1370 minutes, respectively. Tottenham duo Lukas Bergvall (1206) and Archie Gray (1743) impressed in matches for the first team, and the midfielder Tyler Dibling played 1,873 minutes at Southampton. Central defender Dean Hasen was the best player at Bournemouth last season, playing over 2,000 minutes before moving to real Madrid in summer. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have been used more sparingly this season, with Bergvall currently playing 414 minutes and Gray struggling with injury. Defender Josh Acheampong progressed well at Chelsea, but it was King who impressed the most.
Back in 2018, aged 11, King was the child mascot for Fulham's match against Derby and walked out with the captain. Tom Cairneyhand. At the time, King had been at the academy for three years, and his parents often traveled from their home in Wimbledon to take him to the academy in Motspur Park. Fulham believed he was technically ready for first-team football at 16 but gave him time to develop, pointing out Fabio CarvalhoAn example of how patience works. Carvalho, who currently plays for Brentford, made 40 senior appearances for Fulham before moving to Liverpool.
On 22 December 2024, King made his first Premier League start for Fulham aged 17, in a 0–0 draw with Southampton. Captain? Cairney. King has already been training with the first team for three or four months, working on improving his strength as well as honing his decision-making. He found that the key difference between under-21 and senior players was the lack of time on the ball.
“This is a big step forward,” he said. “Stepping forward is the speed at which you apply pressure, the speed of the game, the speed at which you have to think, the extra split-second decision that can make the difference between a goal and an assist.”
He played 127 minutes for the Premier League senior team last season and when the summer transfer window opened, Fulham signed King to a new contract until 2029. In his first interview since signing, he was asked if he hoped for more minutes in the 2025/26 season. His answer: “I want to develop as a player and a person – those opportunities will come if I continue to work hard.”
When Andreas Pereira That summer he made it clear that he was interested in a move to Brazilian club Palmeiras and Fulham weighed their options. Instead of signing a new number 10, they turned to King.
Judging when a player is ready to step up is not an exact science, but in general teams look at ability, temperament, personality and physical attributes. You also need a Pereira-sized opportunity. In short, it all comes down to good decision making on and off the field.
When you talk to people who know King, the first thing they mention is his parents. Michelle and Steve King did a wonderful job of managing their son's career without rushing him or getting caught up in the vacuum of peer comparison. They knew he would develop at a different pace compared to his teammates. “If you think you're competing as a child, or worse, as a parent, your child probably won't survive,” Steve King said. in the podcast “Project Footballer”.
For those who have followed King closely, there have been two moments where his maturity has shone through this season. The first was how he recovered from a mistake against Brentford back in September. King dropped deep to receive the ball from the goalkeeper, but passed straight to Mikkel Damsgaardopened the account. King's head dropped, but he stuck it out and made two positive plays with his next two touches. And then there was the way he reacted to his first goal for Fulham being disallowed due to a controversial VAR decision. After the match, King wanted to meet with the media rather than allow more senior players to speak on his behalf.
Fulham manager Marco Silva is very careful about his playing time; King has averaged 61 minutes in the Premier League this season, ahead of Emile Smith-Rowe. Fulham are impressed with how quickly he learns in training and how calm he is on the ball.
Those who have seen him play in every game this season point to the way he has adapted to playing against physically stronger players. He manages to hook his foot over or through them to get to the ball instead of getting into a fight. We saw this hook in his first goal for Fulham against Wycombe in October, when he scored heel in the air.
“I love watching the most balletic player I have ever been associated with at the club,” said Fulham head of football development Hugh Jennings. on the BBC podcast More Than The Score.
Key now? Patience and careful management. There will be bumpy roads ahead but he is standing out in the Premier League now and dictating play in the middle of the park. It's no surprise that his classmates at Hampton High compared him to Andrea Pirlo.
