By Pranav Shahaney

18th May, 2023 | 4:10pm

Angela Smith has highlighted the erratic form of Manchester United’s Crystal Palace owned goalkeeper Jack Butland amid Rangers links.

The BBC Stoke journalist spoke to Rangers Review about the English goalkeeper as he spent several years representing Stoke City.

Daily Record’s print edition [02 May, pg 45] claimed that Gers were in advanced talks to sign the 30-year-old who’s on loan at Manchester United.

It’s also being reported by the Scottish Sun on 17 May, that United are also looking to sign him permanently this summer.

Smith said, “Jack’s either brilliant or dreadful. Most of the time we had him he was a brilliant player. You don’t get many greater goalkeepers than the late, great Gordon Banks who said so much good about Jack.

“He had a couple of seasons when he wasn’t very good for Stoke. He made a few howlers. But by and large, he’s an excellent keeper and I’m a believer that if you’ve been really good, you don’t completely lose it.

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“He needs a decent run to get his confidence back. He’s a really good guy, an excellent trainer and I think he’ll be a good signing for whoever gets him next.”

Sounds like a good option

Beating Manchester United to his services may be a challenge but Rangers can offer him first-team football which United cannot.

Butland has been linked with some of the best teams in England in the past and at 30, it’s naive to assume that his best days are behind him.

That is usually the age where keepers are their peaks and it makes sense for Gers to take the punt on him.

He is a talented player who’s lost his way a little bit and the same can be said about Todd Cantwell, but he’s been a sensational acquisition from Rangers.

Getting the number one jersey at Ibrox will do his confidence some wonders and they will certainly be the biggest team he is a regular goalkeeper for.

However, if he prefers the money and to sit on the bench every week, then he may decide to stay at Old Trafford, so the ball appears to be in his court right now.

In other Rangers news, the club are clearly playing a sick joke with their supporters after they made an announcement about a senior player.