Marco Silva says he will help talented teenager Josh King fulfil his potential at Fulham.

The Portuguese head coach handed the young midfielder his senior debut in December’s draw against Southampton, when the academy graduate played in the same midfield as Tom Cairney seven years after walking out with the Fulham captain as the mascot when the Whites won the Championship play-off semi-finals against Derby County.

The eighteen year-old has made eight first-team appearances this term and featured more recently for Fulham’s under-21s in the PL2 play-offs. Silva told his pre-match press conference yesterday:

“Josh doesn’t need the injuries of other players for him to be involved. I can give you examples of when Josh King was in …. [my] squad, involved and even starting with some senior players on the bench. I don’t need the excuse of injuries to put young players in, if they are better than the others. It’s a possibility [for him] to be involved and in contention for the game [against Everton].

The Fulham boss admitted that he is handling the England under-19 captain carefully given his tender age.

“It’s important for us to keep helping him to progress, to develop as a professional, a footballer, as a lovely kid that he is right now, to become a man and to be ready for the Premier League. He’s going to have a bright career if everything goes in the right direction.”