Jamie Carragher says Marcus Rashford 'was never the saint he was made out to be' as he credits his 'inner circ

Jamie Carragher believes Marcus Rashford was never 'the saint he was made out' to be in the wake of his '12-hour tequila bender' in Belfast last week and that he's not the player capable of leading Manchester United back to the top of English football.

The England international called in sick on Friday and was subsequently fined £650,000 - two weeks wages - when details of his boozy antics emerged.

Rashford was 'clearly on a mission to get drunk', according to accounts of his night out in the Northern Irish city, and collapsed into bed fully-clothed at 3am.

While the United forward has since accepted responsibility for missing training last week, Carragher suggested the incident was not entirely surprising. 

'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,' he said speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, sponsored by Sky Bet. 

Marcus Rashford is enduring a miserable season at Manchester United and was fined two weeks wages after missing training last week

Jamie Carragher believes the Man United forward was never 'the saint he was made out' to be in the wake of his '12-hour tequila bender' in Belfast

Rashford's inner circle includes best friend Jamie Hendley (far left) and brothers Dane (second from right) and Dwaine (far right) who have acted as his agent in recent years

'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.' 

His decision to skip training is alleged to have angered his team-mates with one source saying: 'They couldn't believe that he would do that given the situation the club is in.' 

United boss Erik ten Hag declared over the weekend he 'would deal' with the issue and seemed determined to draw a line under the matter with his side playing at Wolves on Thursday night.

Asked on Wednesday if Rashford's behaviour showed a lack of respect towards his manager, Ten Hag said: 'Nothing to do with that with me but in football, you need discipline and that is on the pitch but also off the pitch. 

It is the second time this season he has upset Ten Hag by going to a nightclub - and it is thought the club have been worried about him since autumn 2021. 

Ten Hag criticised him for partying on his 26th birthday hours after losing to Manchester City back in October.

The two incidents prove a stark contrast to the image Rashford has developed over the past few years, when he received an MBE for his role in campaigning against child poverty.

First spearheaded on a mass scale during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, Rashford's partnership with food waste charity FareShare and usage of his platform to raise awareness for his campaign saw over £20m raised to support children who were missing out on free school meals. 

Rashford had been seen entering Belfast night club Thompsons Garage earlier on this week

Rashford went on a 12-hour bender in Belfast on Thursday after being out previous day too

The United forward later lobbied UK government on the issue of child poverty and his campaigning helped force a Conservative U-turn on the extension of free school meals during the summer holidays. 

In September 2020, Rashford set up the Child Food Poverty Task Force, an organisation made up of a number of UK charities and businesses with a view to ensuring the aims of his campaign were met. 

His work also prompted the government to pledge over £400m in a winter grant scheme in late 2020 to offer support with food and bills. 

Speaking on the same podcast, Roy Keane echoed Carragher's stance.

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

Roy Keane agreed with Carragher, but insisted Rashford was fundamentally a good guy

Rashford was made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2021

Partnering with food waste charity FareShare, Rashford brought untold exposure to the issue

Rashford's struggles off the pitch have mirrored his poor form on it.

Fresh from scoring a career-best 30 goals last season, he signed a new five-year deal worth £325,000-a-week in July but has come nowhere near the heights he reached last term.

And Carragher suggested the decline in performance indicated the England international was not quite cut out to be the talismanic figure United needed to win silverware regularly. 

'I’ve always said this – if Rashford is Manchester United’s best player, which I’d probably say he is, I don’t think Manchester United can win anything big. 

'That’s not a criticism of him, I just think they’d probably need someone a level above – he’s almost that second or third guy in that front three. 

'There’s that much pressure and scrutiny on him to be the guy who gets the goals. 

'I don’t think he’s quite good enough to be the Wayne Rooney or the Andy Cole or Dwight Yorke, but there’s nobody else there.' 

Rashford scored a career-best 30 goals last season, including a goal in the Carabao Cup final

Rashford has scored just four goals in 26 games this season and has been in dismal form

Rashford has scored just four goals in 26 appearances in all competitions this season, with half of that tally coming in the last two Premier League games.

By comparison, last season he became the first United player since Robin Van Persie in 2012-13 to score at least 30 goals in a single season.

To put his struggles into context, Rashford had already scored 18 goals at the same stage of the season a year ago.

His goals-per-match average has dropped from 0.53 last term to 0.25 this season, while his averaged shots per 90 minutes has declined from 1.56 to 0.83 this term.

Jamie Carragher has made a point of nodding to the 'inner circle' who have previously helped Marcus Rashford stay grounded and out of trouble. 

Here, Mail Sport takes a closer look at the individuals that are trying to keep the Man United striker on the straight and narrow...

Dwaine Maynard

His older brother Dwaine is one of the most influential figures in Rashford's life. 

Maynard, who runs the DN May Sports Management which oversees upcoming young athletes in various sports, focuses on negotiating the best contracts for clients, with his younger brother top of that list.

He played a critical role in helping Rashford ink a £315,000-a-week deal last summer, which will net him £78million if he sees it out until 2028 at Old Trafford. 

Maynard was the one tasked with having a meeting with Paris Saint-Germain and it is noticeable that Rashford trusts his business interests implicitly with Maynard. 

On the official website of DN May Sports Management, Maynard, who has two young children, is listed as the managing director and has mentioned the fact he is a FA Registered Intermediary.

Along with Dane Rashford, the brothers act as Marcus's agents, although that is in some jeopardy after they failed the FA's new exam in the summer.

Rashford pictured signing his lucrative new £315,000-a-week deal alongside brother Dwaine

Dane Rashford

His other older brother Dane is listed as co-founder of the DN May Sports Management.

While Dwaine was imperative to his new deal, Dane was essential in helping Rashford secure his previous £250k-a-week contract in 2019.

Rashford has two brothers and three sisters - Tamara, Chantelle and Claire - but it is his brothers that have helped navigate his contracts and renewals at United. 

Dane hit the headlines after he allegedly attacked his girlfriend after discovering messages from an unnamed Premier League star in Miami earlier this year before charges brought in the US were eventually 'dismissed'.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges of battery following the incident in Miami at the Kimpton Angler's Hotel.

The news of the arrest broke minutes after Man United's 4-3 loss to Copenhagen in the Champions League, in which Rashford was sent off in the first half of action. 

The incident was later described as a 'misunderstanding', with a source telling the Telegraph that Dane did not even appear in court and has now had the charges dismissed.

Dane Rashford helped his younger brother secure a previously lucrative contact back in 2019

Jamie Hendley

One of the most important pieces to Rashford's circle. 

The 26-year-old traces all the way back to breakfast club in Button Lane Primary school, where Rashford would go as his mother worked multiple jobs as a single mum to provide for her family.

Hendley recently set up a property management company called Purposed Properties Ltd, which is said to be launching in the near future.

As a close confidant for Rashford, Hendley is regularly kept close by and has been right by his side along the way, making trips to Miami and Mykonos, as well as partying alongside Rashford and Chris Brown in Ibiza. 

He has become close with Jesse Lingard, as well as Rashford's brothers, and is someone that Rashford trusts implicitly, like a third brother. 

Rashford and Jamie Hendley have been inseparable since their days at Button Lane Primary school in Manchester 

Hendley is regularly kept close by and has been right by his side throughout Rashford's career

Ashley Leather

Another of Rashford's lifelong friends that goes back to his school days. 

While it appears that Rashford does not follow Leather, someone he has termed a 'very good footballer' at non-league level, on Instagram, he is a mainstay in Rashford's tightknit circle. 

He shed light on the importance of both Hendley and Leather in an interview with Men's Health back in 2021, explaining their vital role in keeping him out of trouble in their formative teenage years. 

'I used to come home every weekend and go to see all my friends – not just the close friends I have now, like Jamie [Hendley] and Ashley [Leather], but all my friends together. And some of them were up to no good,' Rashford told Men's Health.

'When I talk about sacrifice, it's also about making decisions. That's why I'm so close to Jamie and Ashley, because if they knew someone was going off in a direction that could put us in a sticky situation, they would have me home straight away. Just like that. We would get on our bikes and I would be home. 

'They have been like that from the beginning for me.'

Rashford continued: 'I see them as family. I don't see my friends as friends. I treat them as brothers, and they are the same with me. 

Ashley Leather (left) is another Rashford treats like family after playing a key role earlier in life

Ro-Shaun Williams

Childhood friends having come through the academy at United, having previously played together at south Manchester grassroots club Fletcher Moss Rangers, Williams is like 'family' to Rashford. 

The pair have an excellent relationship and are known to regularly unwind by playing FIFA together on PlayStation.

Only last week did Rashford make the trip over to Northern Ireland after Williams had signed for Larne FC. 

Asked about his close relationship with Rashford, Williams told the Yorkshire Postearlier this year: 'I've known him since I was a kid, I played local football with him before we were at United so I see him as like family, it's the same as my mum, dad or brother coming to watch me. 

'Marcus watching me is the same as if one of my mates who works at Amazon comes to a game, I'd still want to play well because someone's taken time out of their day to watch me.' 

Ro-Shaun Williams (second from left) is a childhood friend and former Rashford team-mate

Rashford (circled, front row) and Williams (circled, back row) pictured in United's youth team

Jamal Branker

Branker is a close friend of Jesse Lingard and grew close to Rashford over the years. 

The non-league footballer, who is also friendly with Hendley, was last pictured with Lingard in December 2023.

But he was at the centre of an ill-advised video that featured both Lingard and Rashford back in 2019.

Lingard was showing off his hotel suite in Miami, which he was sharing with Branker, Rashford and Williams, but it took a turn when Branker was seen simulating sex with a pillow, which led to criticism. 

Rashford called it a 'mistake' but did not go into further detail. 

Jamal Branker is close to Jesse Lingard but has grown a close friend to Rashford over the years

Caroline McAteer 

PR guru Caroline McAteer (right, pictured with John Terry) has been brought in to help Rashford with his press relations

Back in December Rashford added a key piece to his inner circle, which he has said will always remain incredibly small. 

The appointment of Caroline McAteer, who also looks after Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane, has not caused panic at United despite how the situations of Sancho and Ronaldo played out. 

McAteer is highly respected in her field and is well known in the sports world since working with David and Victoria Beckham in the late 1990s. 

She was responsible for managing Beckham’s PR and media after he was sent off at the 1998 World Cup. 

Founder and CEO of The Sports PR Company - which specialises in offering global public relations, sponsorship management, social media and crisis management comms - she is an entrusted part of Rashford's circle despite her recent appointment.

She is a huge asset to Rashford commercially and is also adept at crisis communications - which will be key for the United star in the wake of his boozy trip to Northern Ireland last week. 

Tyrell Malacia

With the departure of Lingard, young Dutch full-back Malacia has emerged as Rashford's closest friend at United. 

Malacia, 24, has holidayed with Rashford in the past and been pictured attending his birthday parties, leading fans to delight in their 'bromance'.

The pair hit it off in Malacia's first season at Old Trafford and grew closer after taking a summer holiday to Los Angeles with some other friends. 

Since Lingard left Old Trafford, team-mate Tyrell Malacia (left) has become his closest friend

Back in July the pair, who link up down the left-hand side for United, also enjoyed an off season break on a yacht in Ibiza, having already spent time together in New York a month prior. 

'We give each other energy, we speak a lot with each other and, in the dressing room, we sit next to each other,” Malacia previously told MUTV of his friendship with Rashford. 

'We have a good connection, that’s important and you can see it on the pitch.'

Did you see Marcus Rashford on his Belfast night out? Contact sportpictures@dailymail.co.uk