James Trafford says he left Man City for his 'mental wellbeing'

James Trafford revealed that he joined Leeds in the summer for his "mental wellbeing" following a lack of playing time at Manchester City last season, which left him feeling "horrendous". He had started the first three Premier League games of the season before Gianluigi Donnarumma's arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, causing him to become the club's second choice. Trafford made only one more league appearance, in City's final match of the season.

He told BBC Sport, "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." Trafford emphasized the importance of playing regularly for his mental wellbeing, stating, "I had to play every week this season for my own mental wellbeing. You just lose yourself not playing."

Despite the struggles, Trafford played a significant role in City's silverware successes last season, including the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup final victories. He earned a place in England's World Cup squad, serving as backup to Jordan Pickford. Trafford played in both of City's victorious finals at Wembley last term, despite the overall season not going as he hoped.

He remains thankful for the experience, saying, "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."