Not playing at Man City 'horrendous' – Trafford

James Trafford says not playing for Manchester City last season was "horrendous" and left him with no choice but to leave the club and join Leeds United in the summer. 'I had to play regularly for my mental wellbeing' – Trafford James Trafford says not playing for Manchester City last season was "horrendous" before he moved to Leeds United in the summer in search of first-team football. City re-signed academy graduate Trafford in July 2025, two years after he had left the club to join Championship side Burnley. But less than six weeks after his arrival, Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived from Paris St-Germain. The 27-year-old, who helped the French club win the Champions League just weeks earlier, immediately became City's first-choice goalkeeper, leaving Trafford short of playing time.

After starting the first three matches of the campaign, 24-year-old Trafford made just one further Premier League start in the 35 games that followed Donnarumma's arrival. Speaking on Football Daily's The Football Interview, Trafford reflected on the difficulties he encountered during a season on the fringes of Pep Guardiola's squad. "You are ringing a lot of people and just venting. 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.