Manchester United are a difficult club to turn down at any point in a player's career, so when Jack Butland received that opportunity in 2023 he knew he had to take it.
But his six-month loan move proved its worth ten-fold, sparking a fire within him to play regular first team football once again.
Though Butland was contracted to Crystal Palace for three years, he made just 10 Premier League appearances for the Eagles, with Sam Johnstone and Vicente Guaita preferred ahead of him at Selhurst Park. So, when the opportunity to join Manchester United, the club he supported as a child, came up, Butland simply couldn't say no.
Manchester United revitalised Jack Butland
"I happened to break my hand against United during pre-season," Butland explains to FourFourTwo. "The deal was developing in the background and I wasn’t fully aware – hindsight would have made me pull out of that game, potentially."
Due to Butland's injury, Manchester United instead opted for Martin Dubravka from Newcastle to become David De Gea's back-up. The Magpies recalled the Slovakian 'keeper at the start of January, though, opening the door for Butland to eventually get his Old Trafford move.
"It happened in January and it was a no-brainer for me," Butland says. "It was a hell of an experience. I would love to have stepped out on the pitch for them, but I wasn’t prepared to wait for that to happen – careers are short and I had to get back playing. I needed to wrestle some control back.
"It was six months of my life that could prove to be one of the most significant periods I’ve ever had: it reminded me what I’m really capable of, and that’s what gave me the confidence to step away."
Following the end of his loan spell at Manchester United and the expiry of his contract at Crystal Palace, Butland moved to Rangers on a free transfer. But while stepping away from English football for the first time in his career could have proved a little daunting, all he ever wanted was minutes after finding game time difficult to come by since 2019.
"I had a wicked time at Palace – good people, great club – but it was about playing time," Butland reveals. "The club had signed Sam Johnstone, Vicente Guaita was in and out with injury, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I had a broken hand.
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"The opportunity to join Manchester United came about in the summer and it seemed too big to turn down – this was the club I’d supported from a very, very young age. All it did was fuel my ambition to go and play."
And play he did. Since arriving in Glasgow the 31-year-old has performed strongly, making 58 appearances for the Gers in all competitions last term and even earning a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in 2023/24.
"Near the end of 2022/23, I wanted to take control of my future; to go somewhere and achieve something," Butland adds. "That’s where Rangers came in."
Butland is now targeting a return to the England squad, six years after making his last appearance for the national team.
