On Tuesday afternoon, James Trafford was preparing for Manchester City's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Brentford after boss Pep Guardiola told the media he would be starting the game.

At the same time, Gianluigi Donnarumma was polishing his latest individual accolade having been named Fifa best goalkeeper for 2025, three months on from winning a similar gong at the Ballon d'Or awards. It sums up how Trafford is up against the very best in the business.

The Englishman started the season as number one after returning to City in the summer but has been warming the bench since the arrival of the towering Italian from Paris St-Germain. On Wednesday, Trafford provided a reminder of his capabilities with a solid clean sheet in City's 2-0 victory over the Bees which helped the side into the semi-finals of the competition where they will face Newcastle.

However, a return to the bench awaits for the visit of West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday. "He is a goalkeeper, James cannot play left-back," said Guardiola. "At the moment we have a keeper in Gigio playing in that position but he is a top keeper, there is no doubt about that. I am really pleased he can play two more games.

"He played in the Champions League and I am a guy who wants to give opportunities to everyone." Trafford left Burnley in July to sign a five-year deal with City, the club where he came through the ranks without making a senior appearance in his first spell.

Injury and illness to Ederson - who left to join Fenerbahce - meant he played in the first three games and he would have been confident of holding on to his position. But he may have felt his dream move turning into a nightmare when Guardiola decided the opportunity to sign Donnarumma on deadline day from PSG for a cut price £26m was too good to turn down.

Representatives of Trafford declined to comment when asked about his future but just five months on from his return, reports, external suggest he is open to the idea of leaving again. His appearance against Brentford was just his seventh of the season so not only is he not playing regularly, he is also having little opportunity to impress England manager Thomas Tuchel as he looks to keep his place in the squad for next year's World Cup.

The transfer to City would have come with the idea of dislodging undisputed number one Jordan Pickford, but that now appears to be a distant prospect with the Everton keeper managing a record nine straight clean sheets for England and Trafford yet to make his Three Lions debut.

"I feel sorry for Trafford," former City goalkeeper Nicky Weaver told BBC Radio Manchester. "When we signed Donnarumma, everyone was really excited about it, but I'm sure Trafford wasn't. When he signed, he probably thought he was going to be number one. We don't exactly know what he was told, but when you get the opportunity to bring someone in of Donnarumma's quality and at his age as well, for a relatively moderate fee, you have to take that opportunity. I feel for Trafford, I really like him.

"It's the life of a goalkeeper. I've been number one, number two and three. It's really difficult. You don't see a way into the team for him. He just has to stick in there, he can learn a lot off Donnarumma but I'm sure he would learn if he was playing every week."

Before Wednesday's game, Guardiola was asked about the importance of having Trafford at the club and he called the player "incredible" but said "unfortunately Gigio [Donnarumma] is the first keeper". A temporary transfer makes sense for the player but not the club as they lose the service of a highly able deputy.

Sources maintain the club has no intention of letting Trafford leave midway through the season. Guardiola was asked if the 23-year-old will definitely stay during the forthcoming January transfer window, to which he replied "absolutely", but the caveats he added left open a possible exit. The manager also said "we will see what happens" and that he did not have "any news" regarding Trafford, as that side of the business is taken care of by sporting director Hugo Viana.

Weaver added: "I don't really know where Trafford is going to go because he has no pathway. It isn't as if Donnarumma is 37 and has one year left on his contract, he is in the prime of his career. I am sure there have been conversations, I don't expect anything to happen mid-season certainly. But he will be desperate to go to that World Cup and to do that he needs to play games."

For now, though, Trafford is a regular for City in the Carabao Cup - they are into the last-four of the competition which keeps alive hopes of collecting a winners' medal. That is an opportunity which any goalkeeper would relish grabbing with both hands.