Former Manchester United defender Alexander Buttner has claimed Rangers tried to sign him just a matter of days ago, as quoted by the Daily Record.
It’s suggested that the Gers tried to secure a pre-contract agreement that would have seen the 30-year-old join in January after leaving Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem.
However, the left-back has instead agreed to join MLS side New England Revolution.
“There was a lot of interest in me this summer. Vitesse wanted me to stay for three years and clubs like Celtic, Spal, Fenerbahce and Apoel Nicosia all made their interest known,” claimed Buttner, as quoted by the Daily Record. “In fact, just this week before I agreed to sign for the Revs, Rangers and Stoke City tried to sign me.”
“But I’d made my decision. New England Revolution it is. Look, I am going to a league with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney in it. It’s a great standard and I can’t wait to play in America.”
Verdict
This is a big claim from Buttner and for now, that’s all it is. There has been no official recognition of interest in the Dutchman.
If clubs like the Gers and Fenerbahce were, in fact, in for him and he’s opted for the MLS, though, it suggests he’s moving for the lifestyle rather than for purely footballing reasons.
Buttner won the Premier League during his time at Old Trafford, where he served as back-up to Patrice Evra. He earned Champions League experience during his time in Manchester too.
Since leaving in 2014, he’s played for Dinamo Moscow and Anderlecht (loan), before returning to the Eredivisie with Vitesse.
Perhaps, Steven Gerrard saw merit in the idea of picking up an experienced operator on the cheap. After all, although Borna Barisic is in excellent form, the Croatian is the club’s only natural left-back.
Maybe this is a hint that while Buttner didn’t fancy it, the Gers could be on the hunt for another full-back during the winter window.
