Lee Clark once tipped Jack Butland to become the best keeper in Europe.
Ten years on he hopes the shot-stopper will finally get the platform to show he belongs at the top with a club he regards as one of the continent’s biggest. Rangers are understood to be closing in on a deal for Butland who has spent the past three years sitting on his backside on the bench at Crystal Palace or, more recently, on loan at Manchester United. Clark reckons a move to Govan would be perfect for the 30-year-old to get his career back on track.
The Geordie handed the keeper his big breakthrough at Birmingham 11 years ago and still wonders what might have been had he not been forced to sell the prize asset in his second season at the cash-stricken Blues. Brum’s rush it might have been for Butland who moved to Stoke in the Premier League for £3.5million. But Clark claimed at the time he’d lost a player who was set to become “long term, in my opinion, the best goalkeeper in Europe”.
Given he had already played at the Olympics for Team GB and become England’s youngest ever shot-stopper at 19 – a record he still holds – before Clark had even handed him his debut for Birmingham then it was no wonder he was held in such high esteem. But after leaving Stoke, Butland has played a total of just 17 games in three years since moving to Palace. And none of those in the past 12 months. It’s hardly ideal preparation for heading into the pressure-filled cauldron of keeping goal for Rangers. Especially when it would be to replace a man many hold as the club’s greatest ever goalie.
But should the move go through, Clark has no doubt the 6ft 5in shot-stopper will prove he’s lost none of the ability that saw him stand out a decade ago at Brum. He said: “Jack is a quality goalkeeper and if he gets a move to Rangers it will be brilliant for both him and the club. We didn’t want to sell him at Birmingham but our financial situation meant we had to. I really did rate him that highly.
“He had the physique, the athleticism, great technique, a strong mentality, everything you want from a keeper at a very early age. He went to Stoke and had a few seasons as their No.1 but things just didn’t go the way he wanted.
“The last few years he’s had moves to Palace and on loan to Manchester United and not played many games. But if he gets a move to Rangers then the character I know within Jack will be ready to show that it’s finally his time.
“He’ll want to show people he’s ready to be a top drawer No.1 again. Nothing ever fazed him. Playing for the Olympic team, making his international debut at 19, playing in the Championship at such a young age. None of that was an issue.
“So I’d expect he would be excited and would embrace the challenge that comes with playing for one of the biggest clubs in Europe like Rangers. Especially the challenge of trying to stop Celtic.
“Rangers are massive. I already knew it but not until I became Kilmarnock manager did I really understand just how big they and Celtic are. Jack would love being part of that. It would be a brilliant move for him.”
Clark has watched Joe Hart rediscover his goalkeeping mojo with Celtic after a couple of years on the sidelines at Spurs and Burnley. And he reckons a move to the other side of Glasgow could do the exact same for Hart’s former England colleague Butland.
The former Kilmarnock chief keeps a close eye on the Scottish game and knows Rangers are in need of big characters if they’re to rein in Celtic next season. And his old keeper is the perfect man to fill the considerable gloves of Allan McGregor.
He said: “Jack got a call-up to the GB Olympic team in the summer when I took over Birmingham and actually won his first England cap before he’d even made his debut for us, which you could say is a bit back to front. But he was that good it wasn’t a big surprise.
“For a teenager he was very mature. He had all the attributes to be a top keeper and I had no hesitation at all throwing him into the
Championship.
“He’s still the youngest ever keeper to represent England in an international. So Jack has experienced high profile games and situations and come through them no problem.
“If this move to Rangers materialises it will be good for him and for Rangers. Look what the move to Celtic has done for Joe Hart.
“It’s going to be a big summer for Rangers and they need to somehow stop the dominance of Celtic so recruitment is massive for them over the next few months.
“They need to change the narrative with Celtic on the verge of another Treble. When Jack looks back on his career he’ll be wanting to see appearances and achievements and not just having spent time at big clubs without playing.
“He will want to be a No.1 and start to get to the number of games he deserves from his career. Rangers would be getting a talented keeper who still has a lot of time ahead of him.
“As you see with Allan McGregor, he could have another 10 years or so left at the top.”
