When James Trafford arrived back at Manchester City in June for a fee of about £30m, he would have been hoping to emerge as the club’s number-one goalkeeper.
And he started this season in that role, featuring in City’s first three Premier League games of the campaign.
But Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival ripped up the pecking order.
City seized their chance to bring in one of the world’s best keepers when the Italian became surplus to requirements at Paris St-Germain on summer deadline day.
Donnarumma has played 30 matches for City since then, with Trafford having had to settle for domestic cup games – plus one Champions League appearance.
After keeping a clean sheet in the FA Cup fourth-round win over Salford City on Saturday, Trafford admitted the current situation is not what he had imagined.
When asked about being City’s cup goalkeeper, Trafford told the : “It wasn’t what I expected coming into the season…
“It’s the reality and I have to give it my best shot. It’s the situation I’m in. We train every day but making saves, it’s good fun.”
Trafford played 45 games last season as Burnley won promotion to the Premier League, conceding just 16 goals in the Championship in the process.
The 23-year-old then decided it was time to tackle unfinished business at City, who he had left in 2023 in search of regular playing time.
But the arrival of Champions League winner Donnarumma, who is only 26, has dented Trafford’s hopes of making a mark this time around.