Butland, 30, made the move to Ibrox last summer and has made the number-one spot his own with the Scottish Premiership title hopefuls this season.

Di Maria has taken notice of his performances and has said, as per The Scottish Sun (3 March): “The keeper, Butland, is one of the best in Europe. They have the experience of James Tavernier – and Fabio Silva will be super-motivated for this match. If we control the ball against Rangers, I’m convinced we can score goals. But this will be a big battle for us. We wanted to be in the Champions League but our challenge now is to reach the Europa League final.”

Rangers’ Jack Butland hailed by Benfica ace

Butland penned a four-year contract when he joined Rangers last summer. He cut ties with Crystal Palace at the expiration of his contract at the end of last season, having spent time on loan at Manchester United in his final year at Selhurst Park.

The ex-England international, who has been on the books at Birmingham City and Stoke City in the past, has proved to be a safe pair of hands between the sticks for the Gers.

They will need a big performance from him over two legs against Benfica if they are to progress into the next round. Their opponents have some top quality players in their players like Di Maria, David Neres and Rafa Silva.

Rangers know what it takes to do well in European competitions having got to the Europa League final back in 2022. However, they were beaten by Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Seville.