Fulham midfielder Josh King still thinks it is ‘unbelievable’ to be playing first-team football with the Whites having grown up in the club’s academy.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fulham’s official website this morning, the talented teenager describes his pride at his first season in professional football and reveals that he is targeting winning the European Under-19 championships this summer like his team-mate Ryan Sessegnon.

Reflecting on his achievements over the past year, King told Geoff Pruce:

“It’s been a really productive and a really good first season in professional football. I’ve had a lot of good opportunities, which I’m really grateful for, from the manager. I think I’ve settled in really nicely into the team. There’s a lot of good individuals who have helped me navigate my way through the season. There’s been some really nice moments where I’ve got on or been given opportunities which have been really good.

My debut against Birmingham early on in the season was one of the best moments of my career, to be honest. Just being able to play for the club that I’ve grown up at is unbelievable really. My first Premier League game against Brighton stands out for me and then Southampton when I started and had a good game, playing well in front of the fans at the Cottage. More recently, Brentford, I enjoyed that game – got a few minutes and helped us get the win, which was a really big moment for us, obviously getting the points record and stuff.”

The eighteen year-old was particularly pleased with his role in helping the Whites come from behind to do the double over Brentford earlier this month:

“I was really proud. it was a really good moment for me. As I was coming on, the manager said to me and H to try and impact the game and get us the win. That’s what we tried to do. I think we just provided a bit of energy, where the game was a bit slower. I think that burst of energy and runs in behind really helped us. Obviously, H with a wondergoal and TC with a nice header was a really nice way to end the season. The support away has been incredible this season – and it pushes us on to get the three points.”

He gave an insight into his relationship with club captain Tom Cairney after making his first start for the club alongside the Scottish international, having walked out with the midfielder as a mascot ahead of Fulham’s play-off semi-final win over Derby County seven years ago.

“It was a bit of a full circle moment. The fact that TC was one of my favourite players coming up through the academy. I really liked the way he moved the ball and to be walking out with him again eight years down the line was something you could only dreamed of. Me and TC get on as friends now and the way our friendship has developed has been really nice this season. He’s someone who I always go to for advice or things I need. He’s definitely someone I look up to for sure.”

King also shared how special it was to round off his season with a call-up to the England squad for the Under-19 European Championships and how Sessegnon and Issa Diop have shared words of advice having played in the tournament before themselves.

!It was really nice moment for me and my family. It’s something which you dream about as a kid – playing for England, putting on the shirt. We’ve got a few games in Romania to see out the season and hopefully we can bring some silverware back to the country. With the quality of players we’ve got in that squad, we’ll be looking to win it. It will be a very competitive group – with the Netherlands, Germany and Norway. It should be a good test for us, but we’re very confident.

Sess was talking to me last week about how he found it and his experience there. It’s really inspiring to see how he’s played in the tournament and seeing how well he’s doing. It makes me want to perform well, go there and bring it back as well. Even Issa Diop played in the same tournament a few years ago. We spoke about it as well and it is a really good opportunity for me as a young player.”