Budgets and leagues mean nothing when facing Rangers in Battle of Britain insists Man Utd icon

Nicky Butt reckons the financial chasm won’t mean a thing when Rangers get back to Old Trafford.

The Manchester United icon is adamant his former club can budget on another proper Battle of Britain when going up against the fired-up Light Blues. Rangers’ encounter with the English giants and also their clash with Premier League rivals Tottenham are the pick of the club’s continental group-stage campaign.

Philippe Clement’s team face an enormous gulf on-and-off the park, yet Butt says it’ll count for little when the match-fires are lit. While the Belgian boss had to wait to get players out of the door to make signings at Ibrox at the end of the window, his counterpart was spending £42million on Paris St Germain’s Manuel Ugarte.

Erik Ten Hag may have snared Jack Butland from Crystal Palace on a free transfer during his early days in the job before letting him head to Ibrox, but he’s forked out over £600m in purchases since walking in the door.

Payments such as £85m for Antony, £72m for Rasmus Hojland and £70m Casemiro are eye-watering sums. However, Butt says it can easily even out when the teams lock horns and believes that because he’s been there in the heat of the exact scrap.

During his glittering spell with United, the England international endured hard-fought battles with the Ibrox side. Butt was involved in the 2003/04 Champions League scraps between the sides, one of which saw Phil Neville’s goal scramble a 1-0 win at Ibrox.

Wayne Rooney was amongst the United heroes unable to unlock Rangers four years later at Old Trafford and only a penalty from the club’s record scorer in the dying stages of the return in Glasgow secured another 1-0 away success for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team.

With Celtic having also defeated