England legend Butcher, 67, played over 100 times for Rangers after leaving Ipswich Town and helped the Ibrox club claim three top-flight crowns in four seasons between 1986 and 1990.

Rangers have won just a single Premiership title in the last 15 years and currently lie four points behind their Glasgow rivals in the table after 10 games.

McInnes’ men recovered from a sluggish start to the season to win at Parkhead last month and are now unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions.

Butcher believes they are heading in the right direction and hopes McInnes’ metal can help them finally clinch their maiden Premiership crown since under Steven Gerrard six seasons ago.

“Going to Parkhead with no Rangers fans is something completely different,” he said.

“Avoiding defeat and nicking it, he’s really on a mission and getting it together.

“They’re on a good run – I know Derek is a great guy, is very experienced and knows what to do.

“He’ll certainly keep their feet on the ground – when I was at Rangers and we beat Celtic we always seemed to lose the next game, because that high after beating Celtic you think it’s going to be easy the next game, but they certainly aren’t.

“It’s something that pleases me enormously – Rangers have lived in the shadow of Celtic for a long time, so it’s nice to get them back to where they have been and where they want to go.”

Butcher was speaking as part of a Royal British Legion and MatchWornShirt (MWS) campaign to help raise funds for the Poppy Appeal this Remembrance Sunday.

This year’s initiative features Butcher, whose son Chris died in 2017, aged 35, while suffering from PTSD after serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Across late October and November, clubs across the English football pyramid, including the Premier League, EFL and WSL, will wear shirts adorned with the poppy emblem, uniting football in a powerful act of respect.

These unique match-worn shirts will be signed by the players and made available to fans through a series of online auctions hosted exclusively on the MWS platform, with all net proceeds being donated to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

Since June 2024, Butcher has been a patron of Combat2Coffee, a not-for-profit company that supports veterans and their families

Butcher hailed the Poppy Appeal for making such a difference and hopes fans around the country can support it as it continues to go from strength to strength.

“The poppy represents pride and respect to those who have gone before,” he added.

“It’s a renowned and well-loved symbol and a symbol of hope and support.

“It’s something I love and something I have a lot of feeling for – when you look at what the Royal British Legion do and the amount of money they raise, it’s quite incredible.

“The Royal British Legion and their Poppy Appeal raise so much money, which really saves lives and is extremely powerful.”