- Three Lions’ legend David Seaman says Jack Butland is still in England World Cup contention.
- Arsenal icon highlights lack of regular minutes among England’s other goalkeeping options.
- Butland’s Rangers form remains mixed, despite consistent first-team involvement.
Former England goalkeeper David Seaman has added Rangers stopper Jack Butland into the mix for keepers who could head to the World Cup in the summer.
The Arsenal legend was discussing who could be a reliable option for the Three Lions if first choice Jordan Pickford picked up an injury.
He noted that several of Thomas Tuchel’s regular back up options do not play regularly for their club sides.
While Butland, uncapped since 2018, features weekly for the Ibrox club.
David Seaman backs Jack Butland for international recall
If Jordan gets injured, we’re now putting a goalkeeper into the World Cup that’s hardly got any caps,” said Seaman.
“That’s my only worry. It’s not ability-wise, because I look at like Dean Henderson, Nick Pope, I look at Aaron [Ramsdale], you look at Trafford.
“The only problem with Aaron and Trafford is that obviously they’re not playing.
“Jack Butland’s playing up in Scotland and playing well on a regular basis.
“So, it’s a little bit difficult at the moment.”
Jack Butland form criticised
Butland has received criticism in recent weeks for his performances for Danny Rohl’s team.
The Gers have thrown away their title ambitions with back-to-back defeats against Motherwell and Hearts.
The 33-year-old was at fault for Lukas Fadinger’s opener for the Steelmen at Ibrox, and his stats for the match were poor.
Jens Berthal Askou’s side scored three with only five efforts on target.
Meaning Butland’s expected goals against tally was only 1.06.
This means he conceded three, when only expected to lose one.
His distribution was also highlighted, with Celtic-linked Motherwell keeper Calum Ward outshining the Gers’ stopper at the opposite end of the pitch.
The former Stoke City favourite’s distribution was also highlighted as an issue.
Butland had a 62% pass accuracy rating across the 90 minutes with 23 out of 37 passes finding a teammate.
The damning stat is in his long ball distribution as Rangers looked to hit Motherwell on the counter.
Only three out of 17 attempted long passes found their mark.
This accuracy stat sits at a damning 18%.
This has led to links for a replacement number one at Ibrox, with Sheffield Wednesday’s Pierce Charles tipped for a summer move to Glasgow.
England career so far
Capped as the youngest ever England goalkeeper in August 2012, Butland fell out of favour with the national setup after Stoke’s relegation from the English Premier League in 2018.
He was however, tipped for a recall early in his Ibrox career, with former England boss Gareth Southgate even attending Ibrox to watch him during an Old Firm match in April 2024.
“It is up in the air,” said Southgate at the time.
“I can’t deny that so again we have to make sure we’re watching everybody – Jack Butland included because he’s obviously playing at a big club and is an experienced keeper.”
While Butland himself spoke of his hope of a return around the same period.
“You can only do what you can do.
“I have had my moments, seasons, before where I have been, in my opinion, the best in England.
“All I can do is do what I am doing. I haven’t been in that England squad for a while. If I said it was at the forefront of my mind, no. If it comes, absolutely I would love it.”
In the end however, no recall was forthcoming and England moved on without Butland.
His form since has been sporadic, with great periods and severe lulls in performance.
Read Rangers analysis
Seaman highlighted the lack of regular minutes for several of England’s current backup options, contrasting that with Butland’s consistent game time in Scotland.
Even if performances have fluctuated during his time at Rangers.
While acknowledging concerns over errors and distribution, Seaman stressed the wider issue facing England is not ability but match sharpness among competing goalkeepers.
Butland’s name returning to the discussion reflects both his experience and the uncertainty around England’s goalkeeping depth heading into a major tournament summer.
