Exclusive: David James hails £26M Manchester City star as a ‘monster but a very decent guy’ | OneFootball

Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James has piled on the praise for the club’s support and their backing of new No.1 goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The arrival of Donnarumma at City during the summer represented one of the most high-profile goalkeeping moves in Europe. Following a £26 million switch from PSG, the Italian has quickly established himself as Pep Guardiola’s new first-choice, succeeding Ederson after eight trophy-laden seasons.

Gianluigi Donnarumma’s impact has been immediate, producing commanding performances in both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League while developing a close bond with supporters.

His remarkable save to deny Bryan Mbeumo in the Manchester derby victory, which later earned him the Premier League Save of the Month award, has already gone down as one of the defining moments of the early campaign.

Now, one of City’s former goalkeepers has spoken glowingly about both Donnarumma’s qualities and the importance of the fanbase’s role in helping him settle.

In an exclusive interview with City Xtra on behalf of AskGamblers, former City goalkeeper David James was quizzed on the early rapport struck between the club’s fans and Gianluigi Donnarumma, and just how much that can help a shot-stopper’s confidence.

“City fans are top draw. I know myself, having had indifferent games for England, coming back and playing at the Etihad and having the fans behind you, supporting you, it’s very, very important,” James admitted.

“If you look at the situation with Manchester United, for example, Onana came after David De Gea, who was a fan favourite. There’s always a question mark there, which puts pressure on the goalkeeper. Ederson was a fan favourite, and now Donnarumma comes in.”

He continued, “The guy (Donnarumma) is a monster, isn’t he? But more importantly, he’s a fantastic goalkeeper. So I think with his fantastic goalkeeping and his character type, he was always going to appeal to the City fans.

“And I think it probably helps when your debut is against Manchester United and you pull that save off at the Etihad against Mbeumo and keep a clean sheet. All these things kind of fit nicely with getting the fans on your side.

“But he just seems like a very decent guy, a top-draw goalkeeper. And for the situation, I’ve mentioned Trafford because at the beginning, Trafford starts, and if the conversation about Trafford had been there, then it would’ve been very similar to Senne Lammens at Man United. I know he was probably a year or two younger than him. There were going to be some sticky patches for him.”

The former England international concluded, “The difficulty that he’s got now is that he hasn’t been replaced by a young upcoming goalkeeper from somewhere else, where he thinks he’s going to get his chance after a number of games.

“He’s come up against the best goalkeeper in the world, who won the Yashin Trophy. Some people say he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. Therefore, the opportunities are going to be few and far between unless there are injuries or suspensions.”

James’ comments not only highlight the exceptional quality Donnarumma brings to Guardiola’s side but also underline the challenge facing young goalkeepers such as James Trafford, who must now compete against one of the world’s most accomplished for game time.

City’s goalkeeping department – led by coach Xabi Mancisidor – has a reputation for fostering development, and Trafford’s situation could soon prompt decisions about his long-term role. Whether that leads to a loan or continued learning alongside Donnarumma remains to be seen, but Guardiola’s praise for both suggests City view the position as secure for years.

With Donnarumma continuing to impress and his leadership influence growing by the week, Manchester City fans appear to have found another commanding figure to stand tall in goal and one who, as David James put it best, is both a “monster” and “a very decent guy.”