Rangers star Jack Butland reacts to Ianis Hagi message after he’s axed
Rangers star Jack Butland reacted to a message from Ianis Hagi on social media after being dropped by Barry Ferguson.
Ferguson was expected to make wholesale changes against Athletic Club, and as predicted, Liam Kelly was favoured ahead of the English shot-stopper.
The Scottish goalkeeper stepped up for his side, saving a penalty from Alex Berenguer and keeping a valuable cleansheet.
Ianis Hagi, whose future remains uncertain at Ibrox, began the match against the Spanish club but suffered from limited service, following Robin Propper’s sending off in the 13th minute.
Jack Butland on the chopping block at Rangers this summer
Following a series of high-profile errors, Rangers fans want to see the club part with Butland this summer.
The goalkeeper’s absence on the pitch has not stopped him from showing support to his teammates, as he liked a post from Hagi on Instagram, captioned: “All to play for”.
The Bears will face off against Aberdeen on Sunday (13 march) in their final game before the league split in the Premiership, before heading to Spain for the return leg against Athletic on Thursday (17 April).
Barry Ferguson faces difficult selection decisions
Football Insider Verdict
Ahead of the second leg at the Estadio San Mames, Ferguson has a number of crucial selection decisions to make.
The first being who to play in place of the suspended Propper, although this one will be simple, as John Souttar will undoubtedly feature, having missed out in the first-leg due to suspension.
Kelly has also earnt his place in the side, but up-front, things are not so simple.
Cyriel Dessers played 85 minutes against Athletic, and whilst his service was limited, the Nigerian forward has struggled this season, with the 4-3 win over Dundee notable recently as he had 12 shots, converting only one of them.
Everton target Hamza Igamane is the natural alternative, but the 22-year-old has fallen out of favour heavily at Ibrox since Ferguson took over.
There will be a huge amount of pressure on the interim boss to get it right next week, given his chances for getting the role at Ibrox permanently seem tied to Rangers’ success in Europe. A loss and Ferguson may miss out on another chance to continue managing his boyhood side.