Jack Butland can join Manchester United for free after his loan and contract with Crystal Palace expire.
Eric ten Hag needed to find a replacement for Martin Dubravka after Newcastle terminated his lease at the beginning of the month.
Otherwise, he would have been left with only David de Gea and Tom Heaton, who has played little in recent seasons.
It would be risky for the coach not to sign a reserve goalkeeper or to rent a goalkeeper from another club.
Now it has been confirmed that Butland will arrive at the club on loan from Crystal Palace, fans are starting to speculate how long this may last.
Rob Blanchett tweets that his contract with Palace actually expires at the end of the season.
Jack Butland will be out of contract with Palace at the end of his #MUFC loan spell, making him a free agent. If he does well, Ten Hag will likely offer him a permanent contract. Looks highly likely De Gea will stay on a reduced wage as No. 1 choice. ETH has huge faith in him. pic.twitter.com/vgA4PT9p6L
— Rob Blanchette (@_Rob_B) January 5, 2023
He tweeted: “Jack Butland will have his contract with Palace terminated at the end of the #MUFC loan period, making him a free agent.”
“If he succeeds, Ten Hag will most likely offer him a permanent contract.”
“It looks like De Gea will stay on a reduced salary as the No. 1 pick. ETH has a lot of faith in him.”
Given that Manchester United are still involved in the League Cup and FA Cup, which the club will participate in tonight, it becomes clear that there will be many games in which Butland will be able to contribute.
That was the plan with Dubravka, but after his lease was interrupted, the manager had to react to the situation.
Tom Heaton could be a backup, and if necessary, he has a lot of experience in the Premier League.
However, Butland’s arrival will mean that the hierarchy will change again: the 29-year-old will become De Gea’s understudy.
At Crystal Palace, he was considered the third goalkeeper after the arrival of Sam Johnston in the summer.
United have a quality back-up goalkeeper and they hope they can secure him with a free transfer this summer so as not to look for another goalkeeper.
