Hull City must be surprised at what happened after Man Utd loan deal | OneFootball

Joshua King spent a small period of his career at the MKM Stadium

Back in January 2012, Hull City found themselves right in the thick of the Championship's play-off battle.

Despite losing the services of Nigel Pearson, who controversially departed the MKM Stadium after just a year-and-a-half in the dugout to rejoin his former club Leicester City, the Tigers were still in a strong position to achieve their short-term goals under the guidance of club legend, Nick Barmby.

The 37-year-old took interim charge of his hometown club in November 2011. But, after a run of 10 Championship games that returned five victories - which included a dramatic 2-1 victory over the aforementioned Foxes - and as many defeats, Barmby was given the job on a permanent basis in January 2012.

After a 1-0 victory against Peterborough United in the subsequent league fixture, Hull found themselves in sixth place, above the likes of Birmingham City and Blackpool, who had been relegated from the Premier League the previous season.

And, in a bid to maintain their strong position, Barmby looked to add further attacking and creative prowess to support the likes of Robert Koren, Aaron McLean and Matty Fryatt.

Joshua King's brief spell on loan at Hull City

The City boss had made his intentions loud and clear from the beginning of the window that Joshua King was a player the club held a strong interest in, with the Norwegian forward's potential and attributes standing out to Barmby in particular.

"I really like him. He's a very good player who's quick, got a good stature and can play in a number of positions," he said.

"He's an exciting player but we'll have to wait and see if we can get something done."

King's loan switch from Manchester United would then be completed on 16th January, with the striker joining a squad full of connections to the Old Trafford outfit, as the likes of James Chester, Robbie Brady and Corry Evand were already on Hull's books.

After an injury-hit loan with Borussia Mönchengladbach, the 20-year-old made his debut for Hull through a four-minute cameo in a 1-0 victory away at eventual champions Reading, before being handed his first start and home bow in a dismal FA Cup exit at the hands of Crawley Town the following week.

King was no stranger to the Championship, despite the fact his previous loan spell in the second tier with Preston North End was rather unsuccessful, but on his first league start for City, the forward registered his first goal contribution in Black and Amber - supplying James Chester with the second goal in a 3-0 win against fellow play-off chasers, Cardiff City.

Despite starting four out of the next six games in a wide position, Hull's form nosedived with a six-game winless run, which included five defeats in a row - two of those also came against Portsmouth and Coventry City, who would be relegated.

This gave Barmby and his side a mountain to climb if they were to reach the top six, but in the following encounter on Easter Monday, King played his best game for the club, as he inspired a comeback victory against Middlesbrough.

The loanee took advantage of a loose ball in the middle of the park and slammed the ball past Jason Steele from close range, before providing Matty Fryatt for the clinical striker's late winner.

King would then make two starts and as many substitute appearances for Hull, with his last game for the club coming in a 2-1 final day defeat to West Ham at Upton Park.

However, it's fair to say that not many in East Yorkshire could have predicted the frontman's future exploits in the Premier League.

Joshua King's best exploits in England would come further down the line

Following the end of his loan agreement at the MKM Stadium, King's next temporary move was to Blackburn Rovers in November 2012.

After scoring twice in eight games for Rovers, the East Lancashire side agreed a permanent two-and-a-half year deal, although the rest of his time at Ewood Park would be extremely mixed due to injuries and form.

King went on to score just eight times in 72 appearances for Blackburn, although in his final season, three of those came in a FA Cup victory over Stoke City, before joining AFC Bournemouth ahead of the Cherries' maiden top flight campaign after rejecting a new contract in the North West.

Despite being made favourites for relegation, Eddie Howe's side avoided the drop by five points, and the Scandinavian attacker would end the season as the club's top scorer in all competitions with a tally of seven, before going on to have his best season in Red and Black the following campaign - scoring 16 times in 36 Premier League appearances.

After such exploits, King was linked with a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur, which never materialised.

He would remain at the Vitality Stadium to score 26 goals in the following three seasons, although the South Coast side's 'fairytale' run in the top flight would end on the final day of the 2019/20 season despite the striker's best efforts with a goal and assist in a 3-2 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

That goal was the 48th and last of his in the Premier League for the club, which remains a record, seven ahead of current Newcastle United striker, Callum Wilson.

King's time with the Cherries didn't exactly end smoothly, with the club rejecting a £13m bid from West Ham for his services, before the striker played 12 times for the club in the Championship before joining the Toffees on Deadline Day in February 2021.

After an unsuccessful spell on Merseyside, the forward would then score five times in 33 appearances for Watford in a disastrous season under Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson.

King would then agree a two-year deal with Fenerbahçe in June 2022, and after an injury-hit first season in Istanbul, the experienced striker was linked with a potential return to Hull in December 2023, when his former Tigers teammate Liam Rosenior was in charge, although such a scenario was soon put to bed by the Tigers boss.

After leaving the Süper Lig giants in the summer, the 33-year-old now plies his trade for Toulouse in Ligue 1, featuring on a way more consistent basis after numerous injury-ravaged and inconsistent campaigns.

Despite the fact that Barmby clearly saw such potential in the Manchester United academy graduate, you would be hard-pressed to find many Hull supporters who would have predicted such a career trajectory for King during his loan spell of 13 years ago.