Man Utd signing Jack Butland forced to delete tweet as January move confirmed
New Manchester United goalkeeper Jack Butland was forced to delete a past tweet suggesting he would turn down the chance to sign for the club.
The Red Devils have swooped for the Crystal Palace star on loan after Martin Dubravka’s own temporary switch from Newcastle United was cut prematurely short. He has signed a deal until the end of the current campaign and will now act as an understudy to Erik ten Hag’s regular number one David De Gea.
Speaking after the deal was confirmed, Butland said: “This is an amazing club and one that I am now proud to represent. I’m really looking forward to working with an unbelievable goalkeeping group, supporting each other every day to create the best training and playing environment for the team.
“I’ve played against David de Gea and represented England alongside Tom Heaton; they are top-class ‘keepers, and I am relishing the opportunity to compete alongside and support them as team-mates. There is a lot that this group can achieve this season and I’m excited to play my part in helping everyone to reach these ambitions.”
Whilst Butland has hailed the opportunity to move to Old Trafford, he could have got his stint off to a bad start with a historical tweet from his Twitter account having resurfaced. Back in the summer of 2017 during the goalkeeper’s stint at Stoke City, he was asked by a fan whether he would consider moving to Old Trafford to be an understudy.
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Replying in no uncertain terms, Butland said: “Would never move to be a number 2!”
Jack Butland previously rejected the idea of moving to Man Utd as an understudy (Twitter/ Jack Butland)How many games will Jack Butland play for Man Utd this season? Share your thoguths in the comments below
That situation has already unfolded with the 29-year-old England international now behind De Gea in the Old Trafford pecking order. That role will be very similar to the one that he had at Selhurst Park.
The former Birmingham City stopper made the switch to join Palace ahead of the 2020/21 campaign and has gone on to make just 17 appearances for the Eagles having struggled to get past Vicente Guaita. The tweet from Butland’s account has now been deleted with the stopper aiming to make a fast start to life at United.
It appears unlikely that he will be ready in time to take part in the Red Devils’ FA Cup third round tie against Everton on Friday evening at Old Trafford. He could however make his debut for the club next week with Man Utd set to take on League One outfit Charlton Athletic in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Tuesday.
That could signal his first appearance of the season having been out of action for Palace for the majority of the season due to a broken finger. He ironically sustained that injury during a pre-season friendly clash against his new employers United - a match that the Red Devils ended up winning 3-1.
Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all got on the scoresheet for the Red Devils that day with Joel Ward netting the only Palace goal of the clash.
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