Tuchel does not ´leave any stone unturned´ like Guardiola and Kompany, says Trafford

James Trafford says “motivated” England boss Thomas Tuchel does not “leave any stone unturned”, and inspires him in the same way as his former coaches Pep Guardiola and Vincent Kompany.

The 22-year-old, who is eyeing his first senior Three Lions cap, is one of four goalkeepers named in Tuchel’s squad for his opening two World Cup qualifying games against Albania and Latvia.

Trafford came through the youth ranks at Manchester City under Guardiola, before playing for Burnley last season under Kompany, who subsequently departed for Bayern Munich.

And the Clarets goalkeeper sees parallels between the pair and Tuchel, who he feels all have the same aura.

“They have an obsession with football. They don’t really leave any stone unturned,” Trafford said. “They prepare you as well as you can, so when you go into the game, you know more or less exactly what you’re going to face.

“They’re just so motivated, and they inspire you. When they speak, they’ve got such a way with how they speak that you just believe them so much and listen to everything they say.

“I wouldn’t say that’s essential, because they’ll be different managers to them who are successful. It’s just the three that I’ve worked with are all quite similar in that way.”

Cockermouth-born Trafford is joined in the squad by another Cumbrian in Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, whose inclusion makes him feel more at home in the camp.

“I get along really well with Deano. We speak a lot, whether it is on camp or off camp,” he added.

“It means there’s somebody from my area – because we are different up north. It’s someone with the same craic really. We can talk about things from up north that nobody else knows, because we’re both from the area.”

TT. pic.twitter.com/YGqmBq7Lzz

— England (@England) March 19, 2025