English Premier League centre-back turns down Scotland

Alfie Mawson has impressed for Swansea City in recent months. Picture: Getty

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Swansea City centre-back Alfie Mawson has rejected the opportunity to switch allegiances and play for Scotland, The Scotsman understands.

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Speaking to BBC Sportsound on Tuesday evening, national team scout Steven Pressley revealed that Scotland have been monitoring a defender from the English Premier League side.

“I recently watched a centre-back at Swansea that’s been performing exceptionally well but he doesn’t want to turn to Scotland at this moment in his career,” Pressley told the show.

It is believed the player in question is 23-year-old stopper Mawson, who’s made 18 league appearances for Swansea this season.

Mawson has been included in the England under-21 squad for their upcoming international fixtures and wishes to have a crack at playing for the country of his birth one day.

Persuading Mawson to switch would be a coup for Scotland considering the country’s dearth of high-quality centre backs.

Pressley added: “We are searching for additional players in those areas.”

Mawson, who has one England under-21 cap, was signed in a £5million deal from Barnsley in August.

He is seen as a replacement for Wales captain Ashley Williams, who moved onto Everton, and has developed into a key part of Swansea’s defence, while also chipping in with four goals.

The 6ft 2in left-footed centre-back has made over 130 competitive appearances in his career so far and captained Barnsley at the age of 21.