Marcus Rashford has laughed off a gaffe by education secretary Gavin Williamson, who told the Evening Standard he had met the England footballer on Zoom when he had in fact met England rugby star Maro Itoje.

       Asked whether he had met Rashford, who forced the government to U-turn on free school meals provision during the pandemic, Mr Williamson told the paper: “We met over Zoom and he seemed incredibly engaged, compassionate and charming but then he had to shoot off. I didn’t want to be the one that was holding him back from his training.”

       But his advisers later told the Standard he had met Itoje.

       Reacting to the story with a crying/laughing emoji, Rashford tweeted: “Accent could have been a giveaway”.

       (Reuters/Getty)

       Mr Williamson said at one stage during the pandemic he was scouring the globe for laptops to give to children who were falling behind.

       Itoje had campaigned to bridge the digital divide, not Rashford.

       Maro Itoje and Marcus Rashford are “successful young black men”, but there is “little more” they have in common, a spokesperson for the footballer said.

       A spokesperson for Rashford said: “Marcus’ consistent ask to those in power has been collaboration. More often than not, this ask is rebuffed.

       “Maro and Marcus are two incredibly successful young black men, but there is little more they have in common.”

       In June last year, then health secretary Matt Hancock accidentally called Rashford “Daniel” during a Sky News interview.

       Rashford’s spokesperson added: “Whether it’s Daniel Rashford or a Maro Itoje reference, the message remains the same. Put our children first.”