Former Manchester United goalkeeper Jack Butland could be celebrating silverware this season after quitting the Premier League. The shot-stopper spent the latter half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Old Trafford from Crystal Palace, where he had lost his place.

Despite being part of the squad that lifted the 2023 FA Cup, he failed to feature in a single match, with long-serving David de Gea retaining his spot before his departure at the end of the season. Manager Erik ten Hag subsequently recruited Andre Onana from Inter Milan, a transfer that proved both costly and unsuccessful. Eager for regular playing time, Butland made a permanent switch to Rangers that summer following the expiration of his Palace deal, though some observers believed he deserved an opportunity to prove himself at United.

Among them was former Rangers player John Brown, who argued that Butland was at minimum equal to United’s first-choice goalkeepers at that time. Speaking in 2024, Brown, who played for the Gers between 1988 and 1997, said: “I was always a fan of Butland. I was surprised he never got more minutes down south.

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“When I look at the Premier League, there are a lot of goalkeepers down there that I’d say Jack Butland is better than. He was at Manchester United and for me their first-choice goalkeeper… If I was going for a steady keeper, then Jack Butland would be my choice. “

Brown also backed Butland, 32, to continue playing well into his 40s, adding: “He probably has another 10 years at the top because of the years he’s missed.”

Speaking about his departure from English football, Butland said via The Scotsman: “As much as I enjoyed Palace and as good as United was, I missed playing. And that’s important to me.

“All right, ‘Could you be at United?’ Well, yes, but what would the rest of my career look like? That was important to me. I wanted 30 onwards to be something l look back on as a successful period and not one that drifted away.”

While Butland has been instrumental in Rangers’ push for the Scottish Premiership title under Danny Rohl, who took over from the sacked Russell Martin in October, he hasn’t been without the odd mistake.

In the recent 5-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock, he handed the away side their consolation goal with a poor clearance that fell straight to scorer Greg Kiltie. Butland is under contract at Rangers, who face league leaders Hearts in a crucial title clash on Sunday, until summer 2027.

United, on the other hand, seem to have ironed out their goalkeeping issues. Senne Lammens has proven to be a dependable figure since his £18million arrival last summer, while Onana is currently on loan at Trabzonspor.