Defender Mawson forced to retire because of injury

Alfie Mawson has been forced to retire from football at the age of 29 because of a knee injury. 

The Hillingdon-born Mawson came through the youth ranks at Brentford and made his league debut while on loan at Wycombe in 2014.

He later joined Barnsley, where he impressed in helping the Tykes earn promotion to the Championship.

Swansea paid £5m for him in 2016 and his strong displays in the Premier League earned him an England call-up – although he did not play for his country.

Fulham took him to Craven Cottage in 2018 following the Swans’ relegation from the top flight.

However, his career with the Whites was blighted by a series of knee problems that saw him make just 45 league appearances for the club in four years.

Mawson re-joined League One side Wycombe at the start of this season and, despite featuring regularly up until December, has taken the decision to call time on his career after sustaining another knee injury in December.

“It might come as a shock to some people, but to me, it’s been coming for a while,” Mawson said.

“After speaking to the specialists, to my family and to the gaffer, I’ve come to the difficult decision to retire.

“I had some time off around Christmas after feeling some pain in my knee and the pain hasn’t gone away. I went for a scan and unfortunately the damage was done.

“It’s devastating, but it’s how life goes. I was nearly in this situation in the summer, and I’d fallen out of love with the game.”