James Trafford has acknowledged that he will need to leave Manchester City or surpass Gianluigi Donnarumma to realize his England ambitions. The 23-year-old is currently with Thomas Tuchel's squad at the World Cup but remains firmly behind Jordan Pickford in the national team pecking order.
Trafford had hoped to challenge the Everton goalkeeper for the England No.1 position when he moved to the Etihad last summer, seemingly as the Blues' first-choice keeper. However, Pep Guardiola made a late move for Donnarumma in the transfer window, relegating Trafford to second choice.
The former Burnley player played a pivotal role as City completed a domestic cup double, impressing in both finals. But unless incoming Blues boss Enzo Maresca backs Trafford over Donnarumma, the Cumbrian knows a transfer is his best route to personal success.
Newcastle United, who were keen to sign Trafford last summer before City activated a buy-back clause, remain interested and are understood to have made contact with the Blues. Any deal would likely cost Eddie Howe's side around £40 million, with City keen to make a profit on the £27 million they paid a year ago while also recognizing the keeper's ability and lengthy contract, which still has four years to run.
For now, Trafford's focus is on the World Cup with England, and he is putting transfer talk on hold until after the tournament. However, he knows that to have any chance of becoming first choice for his country, he must be a number one at club level.
“History says yeah,” Trafford admitted. “There hasn’t been a goalie start for any of the top nations that isn’t a number one at the club. It’s been challenging the past season, but looking back, I’ve learned so much, I’ve developed so much. I thought I’d had a lot of experiences up to this point in my career, but this was a new experience for me.
“It was tough. Some days were harder than others, but the one thing I wanted to keep doing was keep winning and improving every day. I kept doing that and I came out the season having played a part in winning the two trophies that we did. It was a challenging season, but I learned a lot for myself and for going forward in my career.
“You have still got to perform at the highest level, and when I did move, if I would have become England’s number one for the tournament, it would have been brilliant. I’d have been very happy, but obviously I didn’t. They ended up signing Gigi, and I didn’t play the majority of the games, and that’s football.
“The two trophies were nice. Every day I just thought, ‘Keep improving, keep trying to win the day, and see where it takes me’. I knew whenever I played I had to perform, and then as long as you perform, everything takes care of itself.”
