Rashford 'was never a saint' claims Carragher after latest Man Utd controversy

Suraj Radia

• 1 Feb 2024 12:48 GMT
• 3 min read

Marcus Rashford has continued to take criticism for his recent disciplinary incident with Manchester United, with Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane the latest to take aim at the England international.

Rashford was disciplined by Erik ten Hag after missing training through illness last week, having been pictured out at a night club in Belfast the night before.

The illness kept Rashford out of United’s FA Cup win over Newport and the 26-year-old apologised to Ten Hag, with United considering the matter closed.

However, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher claimed Rashford ‘was never a saint’ and that his previous avoidance of controversy was more to do with PR.

“I don’t ever believe he was this saint that he was made out to be, and this inner circle, I think they have done a great job with Marcus – there was a lot of PR around him,” Carragher said.

“It put him as if he was this guy that was almost going to save the world, when he’s just a young lad from Manchester, with a few quid and is a brilliant footballer.”

Rashford 'never had a halo above his head', claims Keane

Rashford is said to have taken responsibility for his action, while his teammates are also believed to be frustrated with his behaviour, having faced issues of a similar nature in the past.

Keane echoed Carragher’s comments, saying that, while he didn’t think Rashford was ‘nasty’, he ‘never had a halo above is head’.

“I don’t think he [Rashford] was ever that perfect. The stuff he was doing off the field, which he gets a lot of credit for,” Keane said.

“I never thought he had some halo above his head, but I also don’t think for one minute that he’s some sort of nasty lad.

“I think he’s certainly made a few mistakes very close to each other. The profile of Manchester United, the fact United are struggling, he’s an easy target – his decision-making currently is obviously not very good.”