James Trafford was key as Manchester City knocked Newcastle United out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage.placeholder image
James Trafford was key as Manchester City knocked Newcastle United out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage. | Martin Rickett/PA Wire
Man City will always look to have two good players for one position even if it means that someone might be unhappy.
Pep Guardiola isn’t usually one for lurching from one plan to the next and has been consistent throughout his time at Manchester City.
That was until last summer when he brought James Trafford back to the Etihad to replace Ederson, only to then sign Gianluigi Donnarumma too. It wasn’t the fact that he signed the big Italian given his status as one of the best keeper’s in the game, it was the fact that he isn’t Guardiola’s usual “type”. Being able to play out from the back is key for any no.1 who plays for the Spaniard which is why the signing of Trafford made sense.
Man City no.1 confusion after James Trafford interview
Donnarumma is known for his shot stopping ability over and above anything else and his presence has already been felt during his first season in English football, much to the frustration of Trafford. The England hopeful might be given a way out in the summer, albeit only on a temporary basis, with City keen not to make the same mistake that they did before and let the talented stopper leave on a permanent basis. Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also monitoring the situation given their respective goalkeeper issues and uncertainty.
Trafford might just need to be patient though with a recent report from Italy reporting Enzo Raiola, Donnarumma’s agent, giving a cryptic statement: “He (Donnarumma) likes the project (at City) very much,” Raiola told Calciomercato. “He is also starting to understand the English league.
“The other day he told me jokingly that playing five or six years (in England) is an adventure, but it was a joke… If, however, there is the opportunity to return to Italy, we will take it.” Despite only just arriving in Italy, if an Italian club stumps up the cash, Donnarumma will be off.
What has Trafford said about his future?
Trafford, speaking after City’s win over Salford City in the FA Cup, clearly isn’t happy with what happened in the summer but doesn’t know what the future holds either: “Who knows, it’s football,” Trafford said via The Athletic when asked about a potential summer exit. “Every day, let’s take it a day at a time and try and work as hard as I can and whatever happens, happens.”
On Donnarumma, Trafford said, “He is a great fella, a lovely man.” Another season on the bench is unlikely to be an option that a keeper with international aspirations will entertain, regardless of how nice his Italian teammate is. Whether or not Trafford would want to be loyal to City after how he has been treated is another story altogether.
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