All Rangers manager Philippe Clement can do now is hope that his international players come home from the current break unscathed.
He should not worry, however, about one player: goalkeeper Jack Butland. Despite his form and persistent rumors of a return to the Three Lions lineup, the Ibrox number one is not playing for England.
Instead, Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, and Everton’s Jordan Pickford were called upon by manager Gareth Southgate.
Pickford is without a doubt the best player in the country, and Johnstone has performed admirably in a challenging season for the Eagles. However, because Ramsdale is ranked second in North London, he hasn’t played much recently.
So, it would have made sense for Butland to rejoin the England team, but it wasn’t meant to be for the 31-year-old.
Rangers star Jack Butland delivered another blow to England.
And now he’s been dealt a further setback, as Southgate decided to promote England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley to the starting lineup after Johnstone was injured [Daily Mail, 24 March].
Once more, it’s an odd choice given that Trafford was recently benched by the Clarets due to their poor Premier League performance.
In just 28 games this season, the 21-year-old has given up an incredible 62 goals while only recording two clean sheets [Transfermarkt].
Of course, the Scottish Premiership is of a lower caliber than the Premier League, and Trafford is not to responsible for every one of those goals, but Butland’s numbers are at the other extreme.
With just 36 goals allowed in 47 games across all competitions this season, the Ibrox star has 23 clean sheets to his credit [Transfermarkt].
Rangers are at the bottom of the list with 16 goals conceded, while Butland leads the league with 17 clean sheets, according to the official SPFL website.
