When Manchester United welcome Rangers to Old Trafford on Thursday evening they will come up against a familiar foe.

Former United goalkeeper Jack Butland will be in between the posts for the Scottish side, if he is deemed fit enough after a recent injury scare, and he will be keen to compound the misery of his former side.

Butland has re-energised his career north of the border and was even tipped by some pundits to be picked for Gareth Southgate's England squad at Euro 2024. He missed out on a place on the plane to Germany, but it served to show how well the 31-year-old has rebuilt himself after his career in England had gone stale.

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After emerging as one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in the country at Birmingham City, Butland moved to Stoke City where he established himself as a Premier League number one and an England international. Stoke were relegated in 2018 but Butland stayed loyal and kept his England place after an impressive season in the Championship in 2018/19.

But his form nosedived at the start of the 2019/20 season when a number of errors led to him being dropped from the starting XI. In October 2020, Butland returned to the Premier League with Crystal Palace but accepted he would be the club's second choice goalkeeper behind Vicente Guaita.

After two-and-a-half years, United came calling in January 2023 after their second choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was recalled by Newcastle United. Butland joined United's goalkeeping setup alongside David de Gea and Tom Heaton and he was delighted to take the opportunity to sign for Erik ten Hag's side, given he was a boyhood United fan.

Speaking after joining United, Butland said: “I'm over the moon. To call yourself a Manchester United player is pretty awesome. It is the best club in the world, a club I watched as a kid and I had shirts with my name and number seven on the back so it has always been a fairytale for me."

Butland was on the bench 20 times for United and was part of the squad who won the Carabao Cup, reached the FA Cup final and finished third in the Premier League that season.

He never made an appearance for United, though, and when Ten Hag replaced De Gea with Andre Onana and also signed Turkish international Altay Bayindir that summer, Butland's time at United was over.

With his contract at Palace expired, Butland joined Rangers on a free transfer and after three years playing second fiddle, he was back to being number one at a club competing for domestic honours and in European football.

It gave him a new lease of life and his form in Glasgow quickly began to catch the eye back in England. He helped the Gers win the Scottish League Cup in his first season at the club and Southgate admitted he was back on the England radar.

Rangers boss Philippe Clement praised Butland for establishing himself as a leader in the Ibrox dressing room and described him as one of the best goalkeepers he has worked with.

"He is a really, really top-class goalkeeper for me," said Clement. "He almost didn't have a downfall [make a mistake] in all of our four months together. He is a top goalkeeper but also a top personality, because you can be a really good goalkeeper but not be a leader in the dressing room.

"If people are talking about being in the England squad, that says enough - because England will be one of the favourites to win [Euro 2024]. It is the decision of Mr Southgate. He knows all the other goalkeepers, I don't watch all these games, so I cannot make comparison, but I can say one thing, Jack is totally ready - every game he is proving that."

The England recall didn't come but Butland has continued to be at the heart of Rangers' albeit limited success this season, particularly in Europe. Despite trailing Celtic by 13 points in the Scottish Premiership, Rangers have performed admirably in Europe and head to Old Trafford one point behind United in the Europa League.

Rangers are currently in eighth place which would be enough to secure their passage to the last 16 of the competition. They have enjoyed wins over Malmo, Steaua Bucharest and an eye-catching 4-1 win away at Nice.

They have also drawn with Olympiacos and Tottenham and a win over United would lift them above Ruben Amorim's side and keep them on course to avoid a play-off game to reach the last 16.

If they are to do that, Butland will likely play a huge role. Having once been 'over the moon' to sign for United, he is now the man plotting their downfall on Thursday evening.