Being closer to home ‘a big thing’ for Mawson

Alfie Mawson says returning closer to home played a big role in his decision to join Fulham from Swansea this summer.

Having been linked with West Ham and Burnley following the Swans’ relegation last season, the 24-year-old from Hillingdon signed a four-year deal at Craven Cottage, with Slavisa Jokanovic’s system also attracting him.

Mawson, who marked his debut with a clean sheet in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Exeter, told the matchday programme: “I had other options – I’m not going to name the teams – but Fulham just ticked so many boxes. I’m originally from Hillingdon, west London, so that was a big thing.

“The style of play was massive for me. It’s similar to the way England play.”

Despite being relegated from the Premier League, the former Brentford centre-back impressed for the Swans last season – so much so that Gareth Southgate included him in his England squad for friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy in March.

Although he did not feature in either match and a knee operation ruled him out for the summer, Mawson is ready to hit the ground running again on his return to full fitness.

“Getting another call-up remains an aspiration of mine,” he said.

“I feel fit and now it’s about working on game-like situations and scenarios in training that you can’t really do in rehab. I’m in a really good place and I’m feeling great.

“Hopefully with this club we can establish ourselves in the Premier League and kick on from there. But for the next couple of seasons, we need to be solid and make sure that we maintain our top-flight status.”