MODEST Joshua King insisted he had "a lot to do" before he could be compared with Norway legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Former Manchester United star Solskjaer is the only Norwegian player to have bettered King's total of 16 Premier League goals in a season.

And Cherries frontman King said he had plenty of work on his plate before he could be considered on the same level as the Red Devils' 1999 Champions League hero.

Oslo-born King told the Daily Echo: "Ole is a legend back home and it would be good to beat his record so I will try again next season.

"He was a hero for Norway and played for the biggest club in the world at the time.

"It's good to be mentioned in the same sentence as Ole but I have a lot to do to be mentioned in the same bracket as him.

"I'm on my way but I'm not there yet."

Signed from Blackburn for a bargain £1million in the summer of 2015, King has blossomed into one of Cherries' foremost talents.

He was linked with a move to Tottenham in May but has since pledged his future to the Vitality Stadium club and is currently on the pre-season training camp in Marbella.

Asked if his profile had risen during Cherries' record-breaking campaign in the top flight, during which the club banked a ninth-place finish, King joked: "100 per cent, if you only knew!"

He added: "That's football. Back home in Norway, when you are not playing well, they are the first to criticise.

"When things go well, they are the complete opposite. That's just the media over there and football.

"I'm always focused on me and what I do on the pitch. It's gone well this season but I've got more to give."

King, who also scored twice for his country last season, took the Premier League by storm, especially during the second half of the club’s historic campaign.

No fewer than 13 of his goals came in 2017, including a maiden hat-trick in the top flight during Cherries' crucial 3-2 win over West Ham in March, a time when they had been precariously placed.

King netted more times for Cherries in a productive two-and-a-half month spell than he did during his entire two-and-a-half year stay at Blackburn where he was used a lot from the bench.

However, since arriving in Dorset two years ago, King has not always had things his own way and had to bide his time after experiencing mixed fortunes at the start of his Cherries career.

Utilised in a more withdrawn role, he was either subbed or came off the bench in each of his first 11 games in the Premier League in his first season before a strong finish saw him rewarded with an improved four-year contract.