Joining Man United was a fairytale but I never made an appearance - now I'm plotting their demise

When Manchester United welcome Rangers to Old Trafford on Thursday evening they will come up against a familiar foe.

Former United goalkeeper Jack Butland will be in between the posts for the Scottish side, if he is deemed fit enough after a recent injury scare, and he will be keen to compound the misery of his former side.

Butland has re-energised his career north of the border and was even tipped by some pundits to be picked for Gareth Southgate's England squad at Euro 2024. He missed out on a place on the plane to Germany, but it served to show how well the 31-year-old has rebuilt himself after his career in England had gone stale.

After emerging as one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in the country at Birmingham City, Butland moved to Stoke City where he established himself as a Premier League number one and an England international. Stoke were relegated in 2018 but Butland stayed loyal and kept his England place after an impressive season in the Championship in 2018/19.

But his form nosedived at the start of the 2019/20 season when a number of errors led to him being dropped from the starting XI. In October 2020, Butland returned to the Premier League with Crystal Palace but accepted he would be the club's second choice goalkeeper behind Vicente Guaita.

After two-and-a-half years, United came calling in January 2023 after their second choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was recalled by Newcastle United. Butland joined United's goalkeeping setup alongside David de Gea and Tom Heaton and he was delighted to take the opportunity to sign for Erik ten Hag's side, given he was a boyhood United fan.

Speaking after joining United, Butland said: “I'm over the moon. To call yourself a Manchester United player is pretty