Rangers: Danny Murphy shares Jack Butland rant live on talkSPORT as England call mooted
Danny Murphy has claimed playing for Rangers in Scotland may weaken Jack Butland’s chance of earning an England call-up.
With Gareth Southgate set to announce the squad for friendlies against Belgium and Brazil on 7 March, debate has begun about whether the Ibrox shot-stopper deserves a place in the squad.
Murphy insisted he would take Butland alongside Jordan Pickford and Sam Johnstone, leaving out Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope, but also claimed the Rangers keeper isn’t tested enough in the SPFL.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [6 March, 12:13], Murphy ranted: “Pope looks like he’s probably going to be too late getting back in the Newcastle team, then you’ve got two from three really. Ramsdale, Butland and Sam Johnstone.
“I would say Sam Johnstone is probably the obvious one, he’s playing regularly in the Premier League and he’s well-thought-of compared to Butland.
“Butland’s got his strengths. He’s doing alright. The question mark is that the clean sheets and decent performances for Rangers… Most goalkeepers have a decent amount of clean sheets playing for Rangers.
“I know that verges on being a bit derogatory, but it’s reality. They’re not tested enough. The reality is if I’m looking at Johnstone and Butland, Johnstone is playing in the Premier League every week, doing alright, you might go for that.
“These games coming up in Europe will be a great chance for Gareth to watch Butland in a really high-profile game against good opposition where he’s going to be tested. I’d go with the three who are playing – Pickford, Johnstone and Butland.”
Will Jack Butland earn an England call-up after Rangers’ performances?
With the squad for the upcoming friendlies set to be decided on 7 March, the time has already passed for potential options to impress the boss, with Southgate likely having already made his decision.
This has come after weeks of speculation surrounding the goalkeeper, who confessed he had met with Gareth Southgate when the squad travelled to Auchenhowie ahead of their friendly clash with Scotland months ago.
Jordan Pickford is most likely to remain England’s number one, leaving the two places as essentially his understudy up for grabs.
Murphy isn’t the first to play down Butland’s potential for an international call after Paul Ince insisted both Pope and Ramsdale would be ahead of him in the pecking order, echoing Murphy’s claim that Rangers goalkeepers are expected to keep clean sheets.
However, with the likes of Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale either injured or not playing consistently, the opportunity could arise for Butland to step in, and if he impresses, he could even land himself a seat on the plane for Euro 2024.
In other Rangers news, Chris Jack has shared an “impossible” injury update at Ibrox.
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