With a new era taking shape at Ibrox under fresh ownership, Rangers head into a pivotal summer that demands clear decisions and ruthless action.
After another season of falling short on multiple fronts, it’s no longer enough to hope for improvement, and to patch up holes, the squad needs restructured from back to front.
Over the coming days, Inside Ibrox will assess every area of the current squad, position by position identifying who should stay, who should move on, and where the new recruitment team must act decisively.
We start at the back with the goalkeepers, a department that’s seen its fair share of rotation, regression, and uncertainty. With Jack Butland’s form taking a nosedive last season, the goalkeeping situation is one of the most urgent issues facing the new-look football department.
Is Jack Butland salvagable? Is Liam Kelly content with a No.2 role? And should the club be looking for a new backup, or be on the search for a No.1?
Let’s break it down.
Jack Butland - Go
For a while it looked as if Rangers had found the ready made long-term replacement for Allan McGregor in Jack Butland. The former England international started off his Rangers career in fantastic form during the dying days of Michael Beale's regin. One of the few brightspots of the ex-gaffer's disasterous sole summer window in charge.
He continued to look the part under Phillipe Clement as Rangers raced back into the title race in the spring of 2024 but he, along with the rest of his team, fell off the cliff at the tail end of the 2023/24 campaign and like the rest of the team, his form never recovered. In fact it has only declined further.
With errors becoming a weekly occurrence and Butland losing us more goals than he was stopping, interim manager Barry Ferguson chose to drop the former Manchester United keeper in favour of understudy Liam Kelly in the latter stages of last season.
He returned to the side for the last two games of the season for what should be an Ibrox farewell against Dundee United in the penultimate game of the campaign, before proving in the last game away to Hibs why his time is up.
While his value has plummeted since the £20m links to Nottingham Forest last January we should still be able to gather a decent fee for the keeper who was signed on a free from an English side looking for a backup who fits the home grown quota in the Premier League.
Liam Kelly - Stay
While never the standard required to be the No.1 at Ibrox, Liam Kelly has proven himself an excellent understudy for the club and he should remain in this role as long as he holds no qualms about his place in the pecking order.
A reliable Scottish Premiership starter for any of the ten non-old firm sides, Kelly fits the ideal mould for an Ibrox no.2, akin the the likes of Neil Alexander or Antti Niemi of the past and should be allowed to carry on in this role moving forward.
A product of the Rangers youth system and a Scotland international he also helps with European registration rules.
Mason Munn - Loan
The highly rated Northern-Irish youth international made his first-team debut for Rangers in the Scottish Cup last season against Highland League side Fraserburgh and kept a clean sheet, despite one shaky moment early on he acquitted himself well despite only being 18 at the time.
Now 19, Munn is ready for first-team action and a loan move to the Championship would be ideal for him. Perhaps to Glasgow neighbours Partick Thistle who Rangers have held a decent relationship with in recent years for loan moves.
Being third choice will serve his development no good and he has plenty of matchday squad experience now and is ready for the next step in his route to the Rangers goalkeeper jersey.
Kieran Wright - Stay
There has been no word on Kieran Wright's contract with Rangers which is due to expire this summer. The 26-year-old keeper has had various loan spells away from Ibrox around Scotland and finished up last term in the Championship with Airdrieonians, helping them avoid relegation.
With previous Premiership experience during a loan with Livingston, Wright is the ideal third choice for next season while Munn gets some loan experience. A Premiership level keeper who will have no issues with being backup and like Kelly, meets home-grown criteria for Europe.
But at 26, will he be wanting to leave to start his first-team career?
Rydnn McGuire - Stay
The 17-year-old made some European matchday squads at the end of last season and should continue to be integrated into the first team picture this year, taking Munn's spot from last year and learning from the experienced goalkeeping group.
A loan move should be looked at in upcoming years but for now his development is best served at The Rangers Training Centre.