‘Carl Rushworth to rival Jack Butland for starting XI after Rangers deal agreed’
Rangers’ interest in Carl Rushworth won’t immediately spell the end of Jack Butland’s time between the sticks at Ibrox.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson assessed the prospects of Rushworth surplanting Butland if he swaps Brighton for Rangers.
Rushworth looks set to leave Brighton again after four straight seasons out on loan at Walsall, Lincoln, Swansea and Hull, and Russell Martin is now accelerating a move to take the 24-year-old to Rangers.
Brighton have so far been hesitant to sanction a loan move to Ibrox for Rushworth this summer, but Robinson told Football Insider that Rangers could provide the perfect environment for him to flourish.
Butland’s decline in form came under the microscope at Ibrox last season and Rushworth had been tipped as Rangers’ potential new number one, but Robinson said that this won’t be the case at first.
Robinson told Football Insider that the opportunity to move to Rangers is far too good to pass up, and argued that Rushworth’s arrival would put pressure on Butland to improve at the risk of losing his place.
Rushworth’s Rangers chance ‘won’t come around again’
Butland’s own long-term future at Ibrox is by no means secure and could come under further scrutiny if Brighton do sanction a switch for Rushworth this summer, with Liam Kelly the Gers’ current number two.
Speaking on the latest Inside Track, Robinson was asked if Rushworth can immediately displace Butland in Martin’s starting XI if he does make the move, and looked ahead to a potentially intruiging dynamic.
“It wouldn’t be a replacement [for Jack Butland]”, Robinson told Football Insider.
“You look at Rushworth, there’s a lot of potential there. He’s 24 now, but he’s highly thought of – very, very highly thought of.
“It’s an opportunity for him to go to Rangers to put pressure on Butland – Butland starts the season and he’s there to put pressure on him – but the opportunity to go to Rangers doesn’t often come around.
“So if he goes to Rangers, rolls the dice and takes the chance, he could be playing by September, October and could have a fantastic season there.
“It’s a risk, as he’s not going to get guaranteed first team football, but it certainly will put pressure on Jack Butland because the speculation about his future still doesn’t go away, does it?”
Rangers ready Butland succession plan in new goalkeeper chase
Brighton are keen to steer Rushworth’s development in a direction of their choice after recalling him from last season’s loan at Hull and blocking a move to Rangers, but the latter could be the making of him.
Butland’s impressive first season at Ibrox gave way to an error-strewn campaign under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson last term, and it’s no surprise to see Martin exploring his options between the sticks.
Rushworth’s loan move may be in limbo for the time being, but as Martin looks to put his stamp on things at Ibrox this summer, Rangers could re-enter the fray with a permanent transfer offer in a real statement of intent.