Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland will miss the Old Firm derby against Celtic after reportedly being admitted to hospital. The former England international is said to have been placed in medical care after suffering a 'significant internal bleed' on New Year's Eve.
The Herald claims that Butland was admitted to hospital but he has now been released. The 31-year-old will now miss tomorrow's Old Firm clash between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox. Sky Sports say Butland is 'devastated' to be absent.
Butland became a father just before Christmas. He was a surprise absentee for the Scottish Premiership match against Dundee on December 21 despite completing the warm-up and being named on Rangers' team sheet.
Head coach Philippe Clement was tight-lipped over the reason for Butland's abrupt omission but an Instagram post by the shot-stopper later cleared up the confusion. He shared a photo of himself still wearing his training gear and holding his newborn with the caption: "A special day for us as a family for another reason."
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Second-choice goalkeeper Liam Kelly made his debut for Rangers and kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory over Dundee. The 28-year-old is expected to start in goal against Celtic.
Tomorrow's Scottish Premiership fixture comes just two weeks after Celtic defeated Rangers in a thrilling Scottish League Cup final. The Hoops won on penalties after the scoreline was 2-2 after 90 minutes and then 3-3 after extra time.
Celtic also defeated Rangers 3-0 in the league on September 1.
Butland, who joined Rangers from Crystal Palace in 2023, said that Rangers’ performance in their League Cup defeat against Celtic proves they can compete with their rivals.
“It’s going to hurt for a long time because it felt like we did enough,” he said after the game. “The boys dug it out and they worked extremely hard. A few moments hurt us, but we’re going to have to deal with that.
“Me personally, I don’t think we’ve had that fear [that people talk about], but we’ve not also put in a performance [until the cup final] that warrants the belief.
“We do believe, and I think that performance showed that we have the quality to compete and to beat them. For us it feels like a matter of time, but we also want that sooner rather than later.”
