England’s rising star Josh King chose to skip training that many Premier League clubs think is important.
Josh King has just been called up to the England squad for the upcoming games against Croatia and Spain — his first time ever! He might get his first cap during this international break, along with Jobe Bellingham, who was also called up for the first time. It would be a great story if Jason Steele made his England debut too, especially after all his hard work with Thomas Tuchel during the World Cup.
Even though King is only 19, he’s already in his third Premier League season. But interestingly, he hasn’t taken any media training that many clubs see as necessary these days.
Press skills are really important now, because players’ words can be misunderstood quickly. A lot of them have their statements carefully managed by their club’s communications team. For example, recently Lisandro Martinez’s online message was carefully edited after he criticized Manchester United following a tough Champions League loss.
So, it’s pretty cool that King chose not to have this kind of training. He told The Times he prefers to be natural and honest when speaking, rather than sounding robotic. He said it takes courage to speak your mind, and it feels better when the words come straight from you.
Even though Fulham hasn’t had the best season so far, sitting 15th in the Premier League, things are starting to improve under coach Alvaro Arbeloa. They’re unbeaten in their last three games, with two wins and a draw.
King has been a bright spot all season, starting every game, scoring twice, and providing a key assist against Coventry City to help secure a win. According to Fotmob, he’s been performing really well – earning a 7.23 rating for his contributions both in attack and defense.