James Trafford makes Gianluigi Donnarumma claim after Man City transfer

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford returned to the club in summer but was quickly displaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma

James Trafford said that he had no idea Manchester City were signing Gianluigi Donnarumma when he agreed to move to the Etihad. Trafford could leave after just one season after finding his ambition of regular football for club and country dashed inside a month.

Newcastle were confident making Trafford their No.1 last summer and offered Burnley a fee that the Premier League newcomers would have accepted. However, City had a clause from when they sold the goalkeeper that allowed them to match any bid and they duly did, leaving the decision in Trafford’s hands.

The 23-year-old ultimately opted for a return to the Etihad as his best chance of meeting his ambitions to become a No.1 at the highest level for club and country. However, before the transfer window closed City brought in Donnarumma from PSG and declared the 26-year-old as a signing for the next decade.

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Donnarumma has said he was aware of City’s interest before the summer transfer window started and that contact strengthened after the Club World Cup - a month before Trafford was signed. According to Trafford, while he wasn't definitively told he would be No.1 when he picked City over Newcastle he wasn't told about Donnarumma either.

"It wasn't that, but it wasn't what happened [either], so it is what it is, it's football," he said. "It is what it is, you've got to keep grafting every day and the games that come, play as hard as you can. It's just another experience to add to my career and yeah, it has been good learning."

Donnarumma instantly came into the team when he signed in September and Trafford has not played a Premier League game since, having to be content with cup competitions for a chance to shine. He has taken his opportunities, making important stops in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle as well as the FA Cup win over Salford on Saturday.

His lack of game time has put his England place in jeopardy for the World Cup though. Rather than pushing to be No.1, he was left out of the last squad altogether before being belatedly called up when Nick Pope picked up an injury.

Trafford is trying to make the best of his situation, but did not sound upbeat when he stopped to speak after the Salford game. Having looked to leave City in the January window, he did little to play down the idea that an exit is on the cards for the summer as he admitted that he hadn't spoken to anybody at England about his hopes of going to the World Cup.

"I haven't spoken to them [about] if that's enough, but I play as well as I can and train every day very hard and it's just down to me. Obviously everyone knows what's going on with me, so I've just got to, whenever I play, play as well as I can.

"I've obviously got a contract, so yeah, I don't know what happens next season. I just know that I'll just take it a day at a time and try and improve."

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