New England call-up Josh King has revealed how rugby union helped shape his development, with the Fulham midfielder now taking the next step in his football career.
The 19-year-old is regarded as one of English football's brightest young talents and was recently rewarded with his first senior England squad call-up.
On May 23, 2026, King was named among four youngsters, alongside Ethan Nwaneri, Alex Scott and Rio Ngumoha, invited to join the senior squad's preparation camp ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
King has progressed through Fulham's academy since joining at the age of eight, making his senior debut in August 2024 before becoming the club's youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer in March 2026.
The versatile midfielder signed a new four-year contract in 2025 and has represented England at several youth levels, scoring for both the U19s and U21s.
He has now earnt his first senior call-up under manager Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain.
Football journalist Henry Winter highlighted King's rugby union background in a post on X, revealing how the sport played a role in his formative years.
"At Hampton School in west London, Josh King played fly-half. Other footballers have been partly shaped by rugby union.
"Will Grigg and Scott Parker were also talented rugby union players growing up, and took elements of the sport, like reading danger and opportunity, and dodging tackles, into their football."
Now, King has explained how his sporting background helped him develop into one of Fulham's most exciting young players.
“Other sports and other talents can cross over into football. The fact that I was quite a sporty kid growing up, and a lot of sports were integrated in the Fulham youth set-up, that's definitely had a part to play.
"In terms of fly-half, your movement and your ability to manoeuvre the ball and foot-eye coordination is really impressive. As a fly-half, I used to do a lot of kicking and that’s had an impact.
"The love of all sports is a massive thing and that's definitely contributed to what I’ve done in football.”
