- James Trafford has answered some quickfire questions before the League Cup final
- He has spoken highly of Nico O’Reilly
- The midfielder did not start Man City’s most recent match.
James Trafford has been very complimentary about an aspect of Nico O’Reilly’s game while answering some quickfire questions about members of the Manchester City squad.
Nico O’Reilly is having quite the season for Manchester City, with the 20-year-old making 43 appearances already in all competitions.
O’Reilly has slotted in wherever he is required, playing as a full-back, midfielder and even at times as a winger.
The young Englishman completed 90 minutes in Man City’s most recent Premier League fixture, but he remained on the bench when Real Madrid visited the Etihad Stadium.
This makes it hard to know for sure if O’Reilly will start against Arsenal this Sunday, but James Trafford would certainly back him to play.
James Trafford praises Nico O’Reilly workrate
Ahead of this weekend’s final, Trafford sat down with the Carabao Cup to answer some quickfire questions about words which best describe his Man City teammates.
The shot-stopper mentioned multiple players, but O’Reilly is the only one who got two mentions during the short segment.
🧤 @ManCity teammates with James Trafford!#EFL | #CarabaoCupFinal pic.twitter.com/lQ59cJsGIG
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) March 19, 2026
When Trafford was told to name the teammate who is most similar to an engine, he responded “Nico O’Reilly.”
Just moments later, Trafford gave the same answer when he was asked about the first player he thought of when he heard ‘workhorse’, which is a testimony to the effort O’Reilly gives.
O’Reilly may not start the Carabao Cup final
While O’Reilly will be desperate to be named in Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup, the fact he was dropped against Real Madrid is not assuring in the slightest.
O’Reilly failed to impress against Los Blancos during the first leg in Madrid and he failed to score his team’s best opportunity of the night.
Then last Saturday, he failed to have much of an impact as Man City were unable to defeat West Ham in the Premier League.
There is always a chance Guardiola decides it is better if O’Reilly starts, but his exclusion on Tuesday night could be a sign of things to come.
