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Gianluigi Donnarumma's move to Manchester City pushed James Trafford down the pecking order and there is now more bad news for the England goalkeeper
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Manchester City knew they were getting a world-class goalkeeper when they signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day. The Italian had lifted the Champions League barely three months earlier, adding to an impressive trophy haul that includes four French league titles and Euro 2020 glory with his country. But one man in the blue half of Manchester who may have been less excited by Donnarumma's £26 million arrival was James Trafford, who started the season as City's No. 1 following his summer return from Burnley, but has barely been seen since.
Things were looking up for Trafford when he re-joined Pep Guardiola's side for £27m in July after helping Burnley win automatic promotion from the Championship, keeping an extraordinary 29 clean sheets along the way. The City academy product, who had also been called-up to Thomas Tuchel's first two squads as England head coach, looked set to replace Ederson as the club's first-choice goalkeeper for years to come, starting the first three Premier League games of the season.
But with Donnarumma surplus to requirements at PSG following the arrival of Lucas Chevalier from Lille, City pulled out all the stops to sign the player ranked at No. 1 in Four Four Two's list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now. Speaking to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, and reported by journalist Fabrizio Romano on X, the 26-year-old said: “They wanted me a lot, they made me feel important, and now, they already consider me one of their own. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. “I feel at home at Man City, even though it’s not been long since I moved there. " Donnarumma has started all six of City's Premier League and Champions League games since his arrival, keeping three clean sheets, and is yet to taste defeat with Guardiola's men.
Trafford, meanwhile, has featured only once in that time, keeping a clean sheet in City's 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup third round. The 23-year-old has at least remained an ever-present in the England squad under Tuchel, however, the longer he goes without getting regular minutes for his club could make him more vulnerable to losing his place ahead of the World Cup in North America next summer. James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for Four Four Two. He has spent the past three years as a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers and started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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