Latest: Jack Butland may encounter a “jaw-dropping” situation following the incredible Rangers season.
Latest: Jack Butland may encounter a “jaw-dropping” situation following the incredible Rangers season.
According to Gary Keown of the Scottish Mail, it would be unfair if Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland was not selected by Gareth Southgate for England’s Euro 2024 roster.
Keown details what would be a “jaw-dropping” blanking of the Gers star if he was left out of Southgate’s trio of goalkeepers on pages 106–107 of their May 19 edition. The preliminary squad is due in on Tuesday.
Following his criticism of Southgate’s apparent preference for players like James Trafford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope, and Sam Johnstone over rival Jordan Pickford, Keown said:
“Blinding Butland again would represent the most jaw-dropping example of a custard pie in the chops since Laurel and Hardy threw a whopping 3,000 of them in The Battle of the Century, considering Southgate traveled north to witness the Ibrox outfit’s 3-3 draw with Celtic last month.”
Jack Butland: England and the Rangers?
In a spectacular debut season for the Rangers, Butland has maintained 18 clean sheets. Many are wondering where the squad would be without him this season.
Scotland’s finest goalkeeper, Butland, has been a blessing for Philippe Clement. Although he hasn’t played for the Three Lions since 2018, his more than 50 outings this season have demonstrated that Southgate is capable of considerably worse.
Even though it’s unlikely to happen this summer, there have been suggestions for Butland to immediately challenge Pickford, which at least provides a sense of the general agreement regarding the stopper north of the border.
Naturally, transfer rumors start to surface when the England major tournament gets closer.
Just one season into a four-year contract, Butland might already know his fate if, as Keown claims, Southgate is passing over injured or untrustworthy players just because he doesn’t play for a Premier League team.
Although he says he doesn’t want to leave Ibrox, if Tuesday doesn’t work out, he might be forced to make a decision this summer.
