James Trafford’s Heartbreaking Man City Admission Raises Further Questions Over Gianluigi Donnarumma

Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford has admitted he needed to leave Manchester City for his mental health after being brutally snubbed by the club last season.

As City moved on from previous starter Ederson, they struck a $36 million (£27 million) deal to re-sign their forrmer academy youngster from Burnley, less than six weeks before opting to bring in Gianluigi Donnarumma in a move that demoted Trafford back to the bench.

The 24-year-old made just four Premier League appearances last summer and confessed to BBC Sport it was “horrendous” being forced to watch on from the sidelines.

“You are ringing a lot of people and just venting,” he explained. “Like most people, you have a [bad] day at work and you ring someone up.

“I ring my dad, I ring my mum, I ring my missus, I ring my mates. I like ringing my mates and we can just have a good talk about it all. It’s quite funny.

“I had to play regularly this season for my own mental wellbeing. You just lose yourself not playing. Maybe I’m different, I don’t know, but the feeling of not playing every week, it felt horrendous.

“I just had to play every week this season for that mental feel-good and to keep progressing with my career and edging me closer to achieving the dreams I want to achieve.”

Did Man City Make the Right Choice With Donnarumma?

Gianluigi Donnarumma has been under fire this season. | Maja Hitij/Getty Images

While Trafford is flourishing away from City, the spotlight burns brightly on Donnarumma, who has been guilty of some high-profile mistakes and has faced questions over whether he is a good fit for Enzo Maresca’s tactics.

Donnarumma may be a smart shot-stopper, but his footwork has never been his strongest attribute. Trafford, meanwhile, relishes time on the ball and feels like the sort of goalkeeper that would work seamlessly in Maresca’s setup.

“He’s quite relaxed in terms of he recognizes that he has made some mistakes, but at the same time he has also made some good saves,” Maresca said recently. “It’s just a matter of balance. Try to avoid mistakes and continue to do the right things.”

There were even suggestions last season that City, under Pep Guardiola, looked stronger at the back in the cup games in which Trafford played, but the ongoing commitment to Donnarumma left Trafford with no option to leave in the summer.

It seems impossible that Trafford could have been convinced to remain with City, who have already faced plenty of scrutiny over their treatment of the young Englishman last season. It was decided that Donnarumma, who surprisingly hit the transfer market last year, was a better option to try and mount a Premier League title charge, with Guardiola ruthlessly approving the move.

Guardiola was paid to win matches, but Trafford’s admission reveals the other side of proceedings that is seldom discussed. “There were moments when I was very down, regretting things and feeling disappointed,” the goalkeeper confessed as he went from City’s starter to an afterthought overnight.

City’s loss is, however, Leeds’ gain. The Yorkshire outfit look to have found their goalkeeper for the future—or one that will bring about a huge transfer fee—while City are forced to navigate Donnarumma’s awkward fit in a Maresca side.

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