Pep Guardiola could not hide his delight with Man City’s number two goalkeeper and knows the 23-year-old will probably want to move on if he cannot be guaranteed a Premier League place
There was a moment shortly before the late thrills of Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final win when a long ball out of Southampton’s massed defensive ranks threatened to give Finn Azaz his first chance of the match. John Stones was caught flat-footed but James Trafford had anticipated the issue and came a good 35 yards to deal with the situation.
He did not deal with it by returning the long ball in kind – instead, he hit a first-time, shortish pass to a team-mate. And the only time Pep Guardiola showed more animated appreciation for one of his players’ actions was when Nico Gonzalez hit his laser-guided winner.
Guardiola skipped 15 yards along the touchline to show his acclaim for Trafford’s anticipation and calmness. And post-match, the pair were in animated conversation, Trafford appearing to tell his manager that he was not far from getting a fingertip to the strike that gave Azaz his Wembley goal.
Click here to find out the latest Manchester City news in our daily newsletter
Trafford’s last three games have been at Wembley – two for City and one for England. And almost certainly, his next appearance will be at Wembley, in the FA Cup final on May 16.
The question of whether that will be his last appearance for City is becoming more pertinent by the day. Trafford was not overly busy in the semi-final but it was another assured display and there was an important save to keep the scoreline at 1-1.
Not only is it now accepted wisdom that Trafford is too good to be a number two, but the list of elite clubs that would sign him if he were available grows and grows. His rating is now so high that it would probably be easier to list the powerhouse teams who would NOT take Trafford.
He has not played a Premier League game in eight months but will be the back-up to Jordan Pickford at the World Cup. Some shrewd judges believe he will be England’s number one sooner rather than later. A lot sooner.
But for his career progression, Trafford cannot start next season as a reserve keeper. Simple as that. As much as their post-match talk showed mutual admiration, even the attraction of working for Pep as a cup keeper cannot be enough for Trafford.
He might yet end up being one of the stars of two cup finals but the bottom line is that it has still been an unsatisfactory season for Trafford. Bought back from Burnley for £30million, he was jettisoned from the number one spot after only three games when City swooped for Gianluigi Donnarumma. The domestic cup runs to two finals have helped but that still hurts.
So, what is the solution? Either Trafford looks for a way out or City sell Donnarumma. The idea that City might decide Trafford is, after all, a better option than Donnarumma, seems pretty outlandish. And anyway, that decision will be down to Guardiola, or whoever is manager next season.
Donnarumma has a big-game presence, a winner’s mentality. But Trafford – despite being four years younger than the Italian – has greater composure and is probably more accomplished in his distribution.
Guardiola clearly loves Trafford and loves the way he has handled the demotion. And for the start of next season, the Blues boss knows he will have to play him or sell him. Simple as that.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login