Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Pep Guardiola addressed the goalkeeping situation at Manchester City ahead of their Premier League clash against Newcastle on Matchday 12 , highlighting the competition between James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma , two summer signings. "We have two exceptional goalkeepers in Gigio and James. I've been very impressed by James' progress since leaving the youth academy ," the Spanish manager said before adding: "Gigio, as I've always said, when you start at 17 in Milan, it means you have a special talent. All the players are qualified for the World Cup, and I hope Gigio will be there too." Guardiola also emphasized that experience adds value but doesn't automatically guarantee success, and praised the Italian goalkeeper's impressive physical adaptation to the Premier League.
“I don’t know if there’s a more physical player than him. He’s adapted really well. He needs time, but I think the team has improved a lot since then, and goalkeepers are an asset to everyone,” the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich player also explained. In fact, Donnarumma has already played 12 matches in all competitions this season, while Trafford has played 6. Guardiola seems to be drawing up a clear division: the Champions League for Gigio and the English League Cup for Trafford. However, in the Premier League, Trafford hasn’t played since the Italian’s arrival, suggesting that the Italian giant is currently the first choice in the league. As a reminder, Manchester City is currently second in the Premier League , behind Arsenal but ahead of Chelsea.
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