For the first time in his professional career, the left back has had to physically - and mentally - battle with injury concerns.

King's 2024 got off to a shocking start when he tore his calf tendon, leading to a short stint on the sidelines. Soon after, he then tore a ligament in his big toe which put him out of action for seven weeks.

While the 23-year-old has now fully recovered from both issues, it was a huge learning curve for him.

It taught him the importance of being patient, while also made him hungrier for his position after Jordan Courtney-Perkins came in and did a tremendous job in King's absence.

However, the Illawarra talent has now fought his way back into Ufuk Talay's starting 11 in recent weeks.

"It's been hard to get a roll on this year. 'Jordy' has come in and done very well, so credit to him for having a good season. But, at the moment, I've got a few games to play and hopefully I can find some form and keep my spot," King told the Mercury.

"Before these injuries this year, I'd never really had an injury and never missed a training session. So it's quite new to me and it's been a bit frustrating, but it's just something that you've got to learn as you go on as a footballer.

"You've got to be patient and bide your time, and I think that's what I've done this year."

While he is disappointed to have spent so much time on the sidelines, King couldn't have picked a better moment to return to the Sydney FC side.

The sky blues have all-but booked their position in the 2023/24 A-Leagues finals with two rounds remaining.

After a poor performance against Newcastle the week prior, Sydney FC returned to some of their best form on Saturday night in their 2-1 win over rivals Western Sydney Wanderers.

Next up is Macarthur in Campbelltown this Saturday, April 20.

"We didn't do too well against Perth (1-1 draw), and then we dropped some points against Newcastle (3-1 loss). It was a good opportunity for us to face the Wanderers - I know everyone was up for it - so to get the three points against them was great for our confidence," King said.

"I think the win on the weekend did cement our spot in the top six, but we really want to finish as high as we can on the ladder. Winning these last two games going into finals would be good for our confidence, and finding form is really important going into finals. Two wins could cement us a home final - and that's exactly what we want.

"We know how good we can be at home and if we can have a home final in the semis, it's going to give us every chance to go well in the finals series."