Manchester City travel to Brighton on Sunday afternoon, and it remains to be seen if James Trafford will be in goal.
The Englishman impressively started the season with a composed performance away at Wolves, but that was quickly overshadowed by the error Trafford made against Tottenham that led to the North London club’s second goal.
There is a lot of talk around the goalkeeper position at the Manchester club at present, as Ederson is wanted by Galatasaray and is expected to be replaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma at Man City if the Brazilian star leaves.
It is uncertain how all this chat is affecting Trafford behind the scenes, with Pep Guardiola now informing the press how the England star is doing after his mistake against Tottenham.
James Trafford in action during Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola has put an arm around James Trafford
Man City’s trip to Brighton is a big one for Guardiola’s men already, as the Manchester club will not want to lose back-to-back games, as it could allow the demons of last season to creep back in.
With uncertainty over the future of Ederson, Trafford is likely to start against the Seagulls and ahead of City’s trip to the Amex, Guardiola told the press on Friday how he has helped the English goalkeeper get over his error against Tottenham.
More Man City News
“Always, I have my arms around their shoulders, always. They don’t believe we take care of them,” Guardiola said during his press conference.
“It’s impossible for it to be better. What happened [vs Tottenham] doesn’t belong just to James; it’s not easy to say, but of course, he’s a strong man, he has a huge personality.
“He was concerned; I would not like it if he were not concerned. We are here to help them; there is no doubt about that. Many, many times, I am always here to support in the bad moments.”
Jamie Carragher thinks there is now going to be a lot of pressure on Trafford after what happened last weekend, and it will be very interesting to see how the 22-year-old responds against Brighton, which could go a long way in helping Guardiola decide his number one for the season.
Man City have yet to decide on their number one goalkeeper
On Friday, Guardiola was also asked if he is closer to deciding on his number one goalkeeper, to which the legendary coach responded by stating that the situation will become clearer very soon.
“In this part of the season, before the international break and until the transfer window is closed, everything is possible. Simple as that,” the Man City boss said.
“After we’re going to play [Manchester] United, and Champions League, and Arsenal, after everything will be clearer and I will make a decision; it depends on performance, many reasons.”
From these words, it can be taken that Donnarumma will be Guardiola’s number one if the Italian arrives over the coming days, but that depends on the future of Ederson.
If the Brazilian stays, that will make things interesting, and it is also the perfect situation for the Manchester club, as it will allow Trafford to learn from the 32-year-old ahead of his City career coming to an end next summer.