Alvaro Arbeloa has played down fears over Josh King's fitness after the Fulham playmaker was forced off during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at Craven Cottage. Rodrigo Muniz's strike cancelled out Jacob Murphy's opener to earn the Cottagers a point, but the match was overshadowed by King's early exit.
The teenage star was replaced by Cesar Palacios, the summer signing from Real Madrid, in the second half after picking up an injury in west London. Speaking after the game, Arbeloa moved to ease concerns over the young talent.
Arbeloa's Post-Match Assessment
“We'll see tomorrow,” the Spaniard told the media. “He feels a little bit tired, a little bit tight, and nothing. It looks like nothing serious, but we will see tonight and tomorrow.”
Arbeloa also expressed hope that King would be fit to join up with the England squad, saying: “I hope he will be able to go with the national team because he deserves this opportunity. It's amazing for him, amazing for the club, amazing for us, and we are so pleased and so happy for him.”
England Call-Up and Tuchel's Praise
The injury concern comes at a delicate moment for King, who received a surprise call-up to the England senior squad by Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming Nations League fixtures. The Three Lions boss highlighted the 19-year-old's versatility across the frontline as a key reason for selecting him ahead of Chelsea's Cole Palmer, who was a shock omission from Friday's squad announcement.
“We decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training, if you will. It is the attitude and the personality,” the German said. “In pre-season he helped us in training as a full back but we will not do that again. He is an exciting player, a versatile player. We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together. We have Josh as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions.”
King's fitness will be monitored over the coming days, with the hope that he can join the England squad as planned.
