James Trafford admits Man City return has not been what he expected

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford was the Blues' best player in a lacklustre 2-0 victory over League Two Salford City on Saturday afternoon

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford has admitted his return to his boyhood club has not been what he expected after dropping down the pecking order. Trafford was in demand in the summer transfer window after his astonishing performances for Burnley in their promotion campaign last season.

The 23-year-old conceded just 16 goals in the Championship and kept a whopping 29 clean sheets. Despite Burnley's promotion, Trafford looked set to leave Turf Moor with Newcastle United showing plenty of interest in him. However, when City realised Ederson would be leaving, they swooped in at the eleventh hour to sign their former academy player for a fee which could rise to £31m.

It seemed Trafford was set to become the Blues' first choice this season but late in the window, City moved for PSG superstar Gianluigi Donnarumma and Trafford's position was suddenly under threat. The Englishman's game time has been reduced to cup matches only.

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Trafford was the standout player for City on Saturday as they defeated League Two Salford City 2-0 in the FA Cup fourth round. He pulled off a particularly impressive save to deny former Liverpool youth player Ben Woodburn in the first half.

Reflecting on his performance and his time at City so far, Trafford admitted his return to the Etihad Stadium has not been the one he expected. "I knew I wasn’t going to have too much to do but, when I was called upon, I had to do well," the shot-stopper said in his post-match interview.

"It was nice, it wasn’t what I expected coming into the season. I tried to guard against it. It’s the reality and I have to give it my best shot. It’s the situation I’m in. We train every day but making saves, it’s good fun."

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While the performance was nowhere near City's usual high standards, particularly against lower league opposition, Trafford insisted advancing to the fifth round was all that mattered. "It’s one of them, it’s a knockout competition. We won and we have a week until the next game. We have to keep going," he explained.

"We had to work really hard. They did really well.

"They defended really well and they had belief that grew through the game. We got there in the end and got the good win."

The draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup will be held on Monday ahead of National League North's Macclesfield hosting Premier League side Brentford.