The Leeds United goalkeeper does still have some areas of his game to improve - but undoubtedly has the capacity to do that

Daniel Farke is clear on James Trafford’s quality. “For me, he’s the most promising young goalkeeper in the UK and he has all potential to be England’s number one, one day.”

The Leeds United boss was desperate to sign the “top class” goalkeeper over the summer, and boardroom chiefs paid close attention to ensure his club-record £40m transfer got over the line, aware of the high interest in him.

Trafford himself is just pleased to play football again. It is no secret that he re-signed for Manchester City in 2025 expecting to be number one before the Blues swooped for Gianluigi Donnarumma, dashing those hopes.

But Trafford was the man in goal when Man City lifted two trophies last season, which is why he rightly still denotes the last campaign as a success. Farke has more than once referenced the “aura” the 23-year-old exudes onto the pitch and into teammates.

Bosnian centre-back Tarik Muharemovic, another very promising Leeds summer signing, has eulogised over his quality, stating he instils confidence into the defence and is already his own personal choice for England number one.

Thomas Tuchel clearly has one eye on the prospect of this, having given him the nod against champions Spain during the last international break. His two starts, the other coming in a 2-0 win over Czechia, were to test the waters and see how far off to Jordan Pickford he is.

Heading into this weekend, no Premier League goalkeeper had a higher save percentage than Trafford. His rate of 82.4% also puts him fourth across the top five European leagues of shot-stoppers who have played three games or more.

For comparison, Pickford’s league ratio sits at 71.9%. Trafford has also prevented more goals (1.94 vs 1.11) and made more saves (30 from 114 shots vs 23 from 116 shots).

That said, Pickford has kept out more dangerous shots that have been on target. This can be measured by expected goals on target or xGoT - which assesses the quality and danger of a shot after it leaves the boot or head. Pickford’s score trumps Trafford’s at 10.11 to 7.94.

Trafford is hailed for his ball control and passing potency. Short-range, he is very accomplished, while he often ends a game with one of the highest pass rates into the final third when going route one for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Both Trafford and Pickford actually share almost identical pass completion rates - the Evertonian pipping his counterpart 64.5% to 64.1%. They sit 10th and 11th in the respective Premier League chart.

But one notable difference between the pair is age. By the time the home European Championships come around, Trafford will be 26 and Pickford, 34 - not ancient in the lifespan of a goalkeeper, but hardly in his prime like his England colleague.

It’s worth noting there is a healthy rivalry between the two goalkeepers, the pair getting on well while away on international duty. In fact, Trafford is a much-loved character anywhere he goes.

As seen in his TV interviews, his genuine demeanour is a delightful change from the usual media-trained humdrum and this has endeared him even more to Leeds fans. He has also clearly struck up a bromance with third choice goalkeeper Alex Cairns, 10 years his senior.

The pair have a pre-match routine of sharing a huge embrace before kick-off amid the air that all of the goalkeeping department - including back-up Michael Zetterer and coach Ed Wootton - wish to help him on his way to that England no.1 jersey. It’s been a good start.