Josh King an kira shi zuwa cikin tawagar England ta manyan 'yan wasa don wasannin da za su yi da Croatia da Spain — babban mataki da bai ba kowa mamaki ba da suka ga yadda ya bunƙasa daga ɗan wasa mai ɗaukaka a makarantar wasa zuwa ɗaya daga cikin matasa mafi sha'awa a Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel ya zaɓi King a gaban Cole Palmer da Phil Foden, yana mai ambaton halayen sa da ɗabi'ar sa a matsayin mahimman dalilai. Alvaro Arbeloa, manajan sa na klabu Fulham, ya tafi nesa: "Yana da komai don zama ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun 'yan wasa a duniya."

Shekarun makarantar wasa

Charlie Turnbull ya koyar da King a makarantar wasa ta Fulham tsawon shekaru biyar — daga ƙungiyoyin U10 zuwa U14 — kuma yana tuna ɗan wasa da ya kasance mai ban mamaki a matakin ƙasa kafin ya kai shekarun samartaka. Amma abin da ya bambanta King da sauran ba iya wasa kaɗai bane.

"Ɗaya daga cikin abubuwa mafi ban mamaki game da Josh shi ne a duk lokacin da matakin ya ƙaru, a duk lokacin da wasan ya kasance mai matsin lamba, ya ƙaunace shi," Turnbull ya gaya wa Sky Sports. "Kullum ana ganin mafi kyawun Josh lokacin da matsin ya ƙaru. Ban taɓa ganinsa ya kasa ba a irin waɗannan yanayi."

Turnbull yana tuna yadda King ya lashe lambar yabo ta mafi kyawun ɗan wasa a gasar matasa a France, Spain, da Fotigal — bayan ƙuri'ar ma'aikatan kulake masu gasa bayan makonni na gasar da mafi kyawun makarantun wasa na Turai.

Son Chelsea da biyayya ga klabu

Fulham ba ita kaɗai ce ke lura da shi ba. Chelsea, wadda aka dauke ta da farko a matsayin mafi kyawun makarantar wasa a Ingila a lokacin, ta nuna sha'awa. Amma King da iyalinsa ba su taɓa neman canja wuri ba.

"Chelsea da yawa za ta iya kawo ɗan wasa kowane da take so," in ji Turnbull. "Mun san game da sha'awar, amma ba ka taɓa jin zai zama gaskiya ba domin Josh da iyalinsa ba su neme shi ba."

Turnbull yana yabo rawar iyayen King — Michelle, malama a jami'a, da Steve, lauya — wajen kiyaye shi mai tawali'u. Ilimi a makarantar masu zaman kansu da shiga wasanni daban-daban, ya ce, sun ba King asalin da ya fi ƙwallon ƙafa kaɗai, yana rage nauyin tsammanin da zai iya kawar da matasa masu iya wasa.

Yadda aka ƙera wasansa

A fasahar wasa, sigar King ta riga ta ƙarfafu da yawa lokacin da Turnbull ya fara aiki da shi. "Wasansa bai canja sosai ba," ya ce. "Ya riga ya kasance cikakke lokacin da na sauke shi."

Duk da haka, bangarori biyu da makarantar wasa ta Fulham ta mai da hankali akansu sune bugun ƙwallon da gefen hagunsa. Turnbull yana kwatanta yadda yake fitar da King daga zaman rukuni don yin aikin harbi na musamman — aiki da yanzu ya bayyana a iyawarsa na samar da ƙarfin ban mamaki da ɗan ƙaramin motsi. Ƙollar sa a kan Chelsea, lokacin da ya ci Robert Sanchez a gindin ginshiƙin kusa, ya nuna wannan ingancin a fili. Haka kuma volley mai ban sha'awa da Lukas Hornicek ya kare a kan Newcastle da harbi mai ƙarfi da ya buga ginshiƙi a kan Coventry sun zama ƙarin shaida.

Motsin King yana da irin wannan jan hankali. Turnbull yana nuna iyawar sa na jujjuyawa, canza alkibla, da karɓar ƙwallo a wuraren da suke da ƙanƙanta a matsayin sifar sa ta fice. A wannan kakar, babu wanda ya fi yawan taɓawa a cikin kewaye na abokan hamayya a Premier League sai dai Erling Haaland — ƙididdigar da ke nuna hankalinsa da fahimtar sararin samaniya tare.

Rawar sa da muƙami na gaba

Arbeloa ya yi amfani da King kusan gaba ɗaya a matsayin lamba 10 a wannan kakar, kuma lambobi sun tabbatar da shawarar — King yana jagorancin Fulham a yawan ba da taimako a burin, kuma ya yi mafi yawan mintina na Premier League fiye da kowace samari a cikin kakar biyu da suka gabata. Tuchel ya yabi sassaucinsa, amma Turnbull ya yi imanin cewa wurin zama King na dogon lokaci na iya kasancewa ɗan zurfi.

"Ina tsammanin mafi kyawun muƙaminsa zai ƙare a matsayin lamba 8 — box to box, yana ba da gudummawa a ɓangaren ƙarshe amma kuma yana shiga ginshiƙan harin," ya ce. "Yana da wuya sosai a kwace masa ƙwallo, kuma fahimtarsa ta yadda za a ci gaba da wasa tana da matakin da yake sama sosai."

Har yanzu yana girma

Yana da shekara 19, King har yanzu yana da bunƙasar jiki a gabanshi. Turnbull yana kwatanta shi da "ya yi ƙasa da balaga jiki" a duk tsawon aikinsa na makarantar wasa — yana gasa akai-akai da yara maza masu ƙarfin jiki — kuma yana ganin hakan a matsayin alamar nasarorin nan gaba maimakon iyaka.

"Ina duba Josh kuma har yanzu ina tsammanin bai kusanci komai a ci gaban ɗan wasan da zai zama ba," in ji Turnbull. "Kuma wannan yana da kyau, domin yana wasa sosai a Premier League tuni. Ina tsammanin akwai ƙari da yawa da zai fito daga gare shi."