FORMER top-flight star Jan-Åge Fjørtoft believes compatriot Joshua King has proved his credentials as a goalscorer following the frontman's recent purple patch.

The 25-year-old has stormed to the top of the Cherries goal charts after scoring six in his past nine Premier League appearances, placing him on eight for the season.

Two clear of the sidelined Callum Wilson, King's current haul is one greater than he managed in finishing as the club's leading scorer last term.

And in the wake of King's hottest streak since his arrival in Dorset in the summer of 2015, Fjørtoft, who led the line for Swindon, Middlesbrough and Barnsley in the top flight and played at the 1994 World Cup with Norway, believes his countryman has established himself as a goalscorer.

Discussing the progress of the ex-Manchester United youngster, who has been used in a variety of attacking positions by Cherries boss Eddie Howe, Fjørtoft told the Daily Echo: "As a striker, you need to score goals and sometimes people say Joshua is not a typical goalscorer, so I'm so glad he has proved he is a goal-getter.

"I have followed him throughout his career. He has done what a lot of players have done, he went early to a big club which is an exciting route but a hard route.

"What is interesting is that he has kept battling. For a striker, he has had some tough days where he hasn't scored goals but he has kept battling and trying to develop.

"It looks like he has finally settled at Bournemouth and you can see that in his confidence.

"Sometimes we are too quick to make a judgment on young players because some are late developers. Joshua is a very big talent. He has picked himself up and to be scoring regularly in the Premier League, as he is doing, is very impressive."

King was brought in from Blackburn for a bargain £1million and little more than a year later he signed a new deal tying him to Cherries until at least the summer of 2020.

Fjørtoft said: "One million pounds is a free transfer in today's market! You see players going for an awful lot of money who hardly score any goals.

"How far Joshua can go is up to him. He has to stay injury-free but he is very unpredictable and hard to mark because he is always on his way and running the channels.

"It is a major step that he has a manager who believes in him. His scoring record at Blackburn was not very impressive but Eddie Howe saw something there and that speaks well of the manager."

On King's adaptability, Fjørtoft added: "I think that is part of his strength. Joshua can play on his own up front but also in wide positions.

"People have said it is hard for him to find his position but he has made that into his strength. That is part of his development."