Former England goalkeeper Jack Butland rushed to hospital just days after partner gave birth

The 31-year-old, who became a father for the fourth time 11 days ago, had been set to play for Rangers in the upcoming Old Firm derby against Celtic.

But after being rushed to hospital, he has been ruled out of the match, and will be absent for the forseeable future while he recovers. According to the club, Butland was bleeding internally and needed urgent treatment.

In a statement, the club said: “Rangers can confirm goalkeeper Jack Butland will miss tomorrow’s Old Firm match with Celtic. The goalkeeper suffered an internal bleed in his leg which required hospital treatment, but he has since been released and is recovering.

“Everyone at Rangers wishes Jack a speedy recovery.”

Butland spent the night under medical care and was discharged earlier today (January 2). Taking to Instagram, he was bitterly disappointed at the timing of his injury.

He said: “I've suffered a significant bleed to my leg that needed hospital attention. Thankfully that's now under control and will lead to a full recovery hopefully sooner rather than later.

“Needless to say it's come at an awful time and I was fully focused on helping us as a club. The most important thing now is supporting the lads and focusing on getting fit again as soon as possible.”

Butland, who announced the birth of his fourth child on December 21, had been named in Rangers' squad for a recent match against Dundee. However, he withdrew after the warm-up to be with his wife.