Evatt: 'Trafford will be England No.1 - I have no doubts' | OneFootball

Ian Evatt will always be an important figure in James Trafford’s career.

Evatt enjoyed a 19-year playing career before moving into management with Chesterfield, Barrow and then Bolton Wanderers.

He would spend five years as boss at the Toughsheet Stadium, and it was in January 2022 that he took a gamble on the teenage James Trafford.

It was a gamble in many ways, but one that would pay off handsomely all round.

“Yeah, things had been difficult for him at Accrington,” recalled Evatt who left Bolton earlier this year.

“Taking first loan players wasn’t something I really did, and he’d obviously learned a lot during his short time in League One and he wanted to learn from those experiences there.

“He really wanted to come to club that is a lot bigger with a whole load of extra pressure as well.

“We had a couple of keepers at the time. Matt Gilks started the season but transitioned into being a goalkeeper coach partway through.

"We also had a guy called Joel Dixon who was a great lad and somebody I’d had previously at Barrow, but he found Bolton too pressurised and a difficult environment to handle – but that was something James wanted to thrive in, which as a goalkeeper is a huge attribute.

“Looking at James in terms of his goalkeeping skills, he’s big, he’s athletic, he’s calm in possession – which was vital for the way that my team played and obviously the way City play – so we decided to get him in and since that day, he hasn’t really looked back.”

Evatt was aware of the noise from Wanderers fans questioning Trafford’s capture, suggesting that he was perhaps too inexperienced and unproven at that time.

But the Bolton boss was confident in the youngster’s abilities.

“You can’t make decisions based on fan reactions,” says Evatt.

“Not one of our fans would have seen James play prior to him joining us and there is always scrutiny around new signings and performances which is due to the world we live in with social media where everyone has an opinion.

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“You have to look at the decision you’re making and try and tick as many boxes as possible – and James ticked a lot of boxes. Of course it was a risk, but it was one we were willing to take.

“From the first minute he walked into Bolton Wanderers FC, he just embraced everything and all the special goalkeepers I’ve worked with in my career either as a player or manager, they have an aura about them. Some say they’re a little bit crazy, but James was so confident – not arrogant, because there is a fine line between the two – it was just confidence. He works incredibly hard and has a lot of natural talent and attributes.

“We were fortunate to get him, he was probably fortunate to get us at the time, but he was more than worth the risk because during the 18 months he was with us, he blossomed, and it helped him become the goalkeeper he is today.

“Sometimes, in football, it’s about actions and words and some people have a lot to say without anything to back their words up – from day one, James backed his belief up by the quality of his training and performances suggested to me that being City and England’s No.1 was a distinct possibility one day.

“Nothing he’s done so far has surprised me in the slightest – that he’s re-signed for City, that he’s had so many accolades, that he won the Euro Under-21 tournament and that he’s been in the England squad .

“He will be England’s No.1; I have absolutely no doubt about that.”

Until he returns to management, Evatt has been to various clubs in an advisory capacity, with one aspect being loan moves and the expectations surrounding them.

He revealed: “Just last week, I presented to Everton’s Under 18s and Under-21s about what a successful loan looks like and what an EFL manager would look for.

"James and [Liverpool full-back] Conor Bradley, who was on loan at Bolton at the same time, are both fantastic case studies.

"You not only have to come in with the right attitude, application and level of performance, you have to buy into the football club, the culture, the environment and the fanbase.

“You are a loan player with a parent club, but you have to treat your loan club as your parent club – and James did that from the very first day with us.”

Evatt was also delighted to hear from Trafford ahead of his City move, with our new keeper remembering the people that have been influential on his journey to date.

“James got in touch before he signed for City to thank me for my role in his career so far, and that’s just the sort of lad he is,” says Evatt.

“He’s incredibly humble, gracious and has a huge amount of gratitude towards me, the football club and what Matt Gilks did for him.

“I’m going to meet up with him soon and we talk a lot, but that’s credit to James and the relationship we built up while he was at Bolton and the type of lad he is.”

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