For a generation that rarely witnesses the fighting draw, Old Trafford was a reminder of the spectacle it can be, of the technical skill and physical and mental endurance required to pull one off, and of the subplots that go into one's making.

Sources have told ESPN the deal is worth £27 million ($36.3m) and Trafford has signed a five-year deal at the Etihad, with the option of an extra year. City beat off interest in Trafford from Newcastle United and sign the 22-year old just two years after letting him leave for Burnley.

James Trafford says his time at other clubs has been invaluable in him helping him improve as a player and as a person.