King has emerged as one of the few bright spots in a miserable start to the season for Fulham, who have lost all three of their opening Premier League matches under new head coach Álvaro Arbeloa. The teenager, born in 2007, has stood out for his composure and technical quality despite the club's struggles, form that has not gone unnoticed by the national team setup.
Tuchel was present to watch King in person during Fulham's most recent league match, a 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace in which the teenager scored. King has already trained with the senior England squad during the pre-World Cup summer camp, and now awaits what would be his first competitive call-up to the full national team.
That opportunity could arrive as soon as this month's international break, with England facing a busy schedule of four Nations League fixtures, hosting Spain, travelling to Croatia and playing a home-and-away double-header against the Czech Republic.
King's rise offers a rare source of encouragement at Craven Cottage during a difficult opening to the campaign, with the club already under pressure following Arbeloa's winless start in the Premier League.
For a teenager still establishing himself in Fulham's first team, an England call-up this early in his senior career would represent a significant marker of the club's confidence in his long-term potential, even as the team around him continues to search for its first points of the season.
King has continued to develop through Fulham's academy pathway and has been increasingly trusted with first-team minutes despite the upheaval around him at Craven Cottage this season. His emergence comes at a useful moment for England, who are refreshing their pool of young talent as they build towards future tournaments, and a maiden call-up would place him among a growing group of teenage prospects breaking into senior international contention from Premier League academies this season.
Fulham's coaching staff have been encouraged by his temperament as much as his output, with performances such as his goal against Palace suggesting a player capable of handling responsibility beyond his years even as the team results around him have yet to turn.