Riley Warland has returned to Perth Glory, ending his spell in England with Championship outfit Fulham.
Warland, 17, had signed for the West Londoners – who were in the Premier League at the time – in June 2018.
But the highly-rated Perth-born defender is now back at the Glory, whom he joined as a 10-year-old before progressing through the club’s academy ranks, on a two-year scholarship contract.
“It was a dream come true for me to go over to England,” he said, “and obviously the dream is not over just yet.
“But I think maybe I was just a bit too young. Family is such a massive thing for me and moving away from home and family at such a young age is a tough thing to wrap your head around.
“I think I gave it a good go, but it was great to get the opportunity to come back to my hometown club for a couple of years and it’s going to be another fantastic experience for me.”
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In particular, the defender is relishing working under Tony Popovic.
He’s a great coach and being a central defender myself, it’s fantastic being able to learn from one of the best,” he said.
“I like the way he wants us to play and it’s going to be a great experience for me.”
Perth Glory Football Director Jacob Burns said: “Riley is a shining example of the club’s commitment to developing young, Western Australian talent.
“He is just one of many exciting youngsters that are in and around our senior squad and we look forward to seeing them all progress.
“Riley will have benefited from his time at Fulham by growing both as a person and as a player.
“Now he has an opportunity to progress his career once again and I’m sure he’ll seize it with both hands.”
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