Rangers: Philippe Clement shares honest verdict on Jack Butland snub as England squad named
Philippe Clement believes it says a lot about Rangers right now that nobody was surprised to see Jack Butland linked with an England call-up.
Butland was surprisingly left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad on Thursday (14 March), with the consensus beforehand that he would be included.
The Rangers manager was asked for his thoughts on Southgate’s decision in a live interview on Sky Sports News [15 March, 2:54pm].
“I don’t know what another manager is thinking,” he said. “I don’t see the other [England] goalkeepers playing every week.
“There’s been a lot of fuss around it in recent weeks from the media, but I didn’t hear one voice saying it would be strange having Butland in the England squad. That proves a lot.”
Jack Butland not included in England squad
Butland has been sensational for Rangers since arriving as a free agent last summer and looked nailed on to earn a return to the England squad.
Instead, Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale have been selected by Southgate to rival – or provide support for – Jordan Pickford.
While Pickford’s selection is fair enough, Ramsdale has barely played this term and seems to make an error every time he does play for Arsenal.
Johnstone, meanwhile, has not exactly caught the eye for Crystal Palace in the Premier League this season.
From a selfish point of view, having Butland rest up – mentally more than physically – over the next couple of weeks is good news.
At the same time, he surely did enough to warrant a place in this latest England squad?
Butland will no doubt feel he has a point to prove ahead of Euro 2024, which will hopefully mean a continuation of his solid displays for the Gers.
In other Rangers news, Clement’s biggest problem at Ibrox is growing deeper following a statement released on Friday (15 March).
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