Gianluigi Donnarumma Number One Position In Question After Champions League Performance
Pep Guardiola may drop Gianluigi Donnarumma following the Italian's European display.
Louis Fargher
Updated on 11 December 2025
Gianluigi Donnarumma is at risk of being dropped to the bench for Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League clash.
Gianluigi Donnarumma Faces Drop After Real Madrid Display
The Manchester City shot-stopper faced heavy scrutiny during the Cityzen’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid on December 10th and Pep Guardiola may drop Donnarumma to the bench.
Los Blancos took the lead after 28 minutes through Rodrygo and many questioned Donnarumma’s efforts to keep the ball out.
The Italian appeared to be uncharacteristically cautious when coming for crosses and this left Guardiola visibly concerned on the sidelines.
City would go on to secure a vital three-points thanks to goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland – moving the Premier League champions up fourth in the table.
Despite this huge victory, Donnarumma could be moved to the bench for City’s league clash against Crystal Palace on December 14th.
The 26-year-old has started in every Premier League match since joining the Cityzens for €30million in September and appears to have replaced the recently AC Milan-linked Alisson as the best shot-stopper in England.
However, the Italian’s performance against Real Madrid did not follow this trend and Donnarumma could be replaced by James Trafford.
James Trafford To Replace Italian Number One
After re-joining Manchester City for €31.2m in July, Trafford was in-line to become the number one at the Etihad Stadium for multiple years to come.
However, the Englishman’s opening matches in the City goal were far from convincing and Donnarumma was added to the champions’ roster.
Since the Italian’s arrival, Trafford has failed to make a single Premier League appearance and his singular Champions League outing brought City’s only defeat in Europe.
This lack of playing-time has surrounded the 23-year-old’s future in Manchester with doubt and Trafford is a surprise target for Inter Milan.
His deal with the Cityzens does not expire until June 2030, meaning the Nerazzurri would likely submit a loan offer with an option-to-buy next summer.
Any talks over a move away in January will have to be put to one side, as the young shot-stopper could make his first Premier League start since August 31st against Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola’s side currently sit second in the Premier League and are just two-points behind Arsenal, after the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa last time out.
Louis Fargher
Louis has been an avid soccer enthusiast for multiple years and boasts knowledge across several leagues in Europe - including Serie A. Louis holds a degree in Soccer Journalism and has produced content for multiple clubs in the United Kingdom.
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