'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.
"What a horrendous, horrendous feeling. Not playing," said Trafford.
"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. 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."
Despite his limited playing time, Trafford believes he still gained plenty from his final season at City, having helped the club win the League Cup and FA Cup after starting both finals at Wembley.
"Going into any season, I always have the highest of hopes and always the belief that it will go the best way it could," he added.
"Unfortunately, we didn't win all four trophies. It didn't go how I expected it to go, but it happens.
"In the moment, I just tried to make the best of it as I could. Looking back, I don't think it was a disappointing season in the end because I learned so much, I improved so much and I won two trophies in one year.
"There were moments when I was very down, regretting things and feeling disappointed, but looking back, I'm very thankful for the experience. What an incredible year."
Trafford's aim to be England number one
Trafford was part of England's squad for the 2026 World Cup and, although he did not get game time, being part of Thomas Tuchel's squad was an "incredible experience" that he says he will not forget.
"I didn't play, but it is what it is," said Trafford. "I didn't expect to play when I got called up. I knew what my role was, but you just take as much experience as possible, learn from it and keep trying to win the day, because the more days you win, the better position you're in."
Next time around, though, Trafford hopes to be England's starting goalkeeper and believes that if he continues his impressive performances with Leeds , that ambition is entirely achievable.
"It's my aim and it's something I've always dreamed of," said Trafford.
"I always believe that one day I could be. Every day I try to keep improving to put myself in the best position to be England's number one one day.
"I think everyone in the goalkeeping department with the national team wants to be number one because it's an amazing position to be in."
'Everyone's got an opinion on goalkeeping'
After returning from the World Cup, Trafford left City to join Leeds United in a deal worth up to £45m - a record for a British goalkeeper.
Since arriving at Elland Road, he has relished the opportunity to play regularly in the Premier League.
The former Bolton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley loanee has started all nine of Leeds ' Premier League matches this season, keeping three clean sheets, with only Brighton (seven) and Arsenal (five) having conceded fewer goals than Daniel Farke's side (eight).
His performances have helped Leeds to 12th in the table before this weekend's fixtures - just two points off the European places - and he says the club are only going to get better.
"I just think it's an incredible club," he said. "You look at the fanbase, everyone here - it's an incredible place. It's just somewhere that's only going and getting better.
"We'd love to get back into Europe. I think every club you ask would like to get into Europe, so the main goal is just to keep on improving."
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