Pep Guardiola has confirmed James Trafford will start the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, but left the door open for the goalkeeper to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.
Trafford said in an interview in February that he “didn’t expect” to find himself behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in the pecking order when he returned to the club from Burnley last summer.
Guardiola said at a news conference that he had “nothing to say” about the comments, but confirmed the 23-year-old will be in the team at Wembley.
“Players can be happy, unhappy. it is what it is,” Guardiola said.
“They have to be here to do the best they can do and after we will see what happens at the end of the season. The important thing is they have to be ready.”
After facing off at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final, City and Arsenal are also scheduled to meet in the Premier League at the Etihad in April.
The game could yet have an impact on the destination of the Premier League trophy, but Guardiola says he’s unsure whether winning on Sunday will help City claw their way back in the title race.
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“I don’t know,” the City boss said.
“I said before, of course winning helps just for the fact that winning helps.
“We can win on Sunday and then be bad in the league. I learned that in many competitions and many games with a short time of recovery you have to have the ability to forget and move forwards.”
