Steve McClaren has given Marcus Rashford the first step in his Manchester United revival

Marcus Rashford might feel scolded by Steve McClaren’s January comments.

The 61-year-old detailed how he “hated” the striker’s attitude in Manchester United's 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Aston Villa in January. The former England boss, maybe unfairly, said it was a problem that had plagued Rashford throughout his career.

Either way, the attacker has looked very out of sorts over the past 12 months. Whether the memories of his Euro 2020 penalty shoot-out miss played a part, only he knows. But McClaren — who will be Erik ten Hag’s No.2 at United next season — said something needs to happen for him to rekindle his best form.

READ MORE: Steve McClaren told Marcus Rashford he 'hates' his attitude ahead of Manchester United return

“I just look at him and think that boy needs help, off the field and through the manager,” he said. “The help is there in modern football.

“He (Gareth Southgate) has brought in a sports psychologist. He (Rashford) has got the talent and the ability. He's brought in a sports psychologist but a player needs to admit first that he's in the wrong, has a bad attitude and needs help.”

It would be easy to dismiss this claim from most other people, but McClaren knows what he is talking about. During his first stint at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999 and 2001, he was somewhat ahead of his time.

He introduced the asset of sports psychology into the club, also inviting psychoanalyst Bill Beswick to work with the group. Six months later, United had lifted the Champions League after an iconic late comeback against Bayern Munich to seal the unforgettable Treble.

Both arguably played an instrumental role in that success, despite the enormous stigma around mental health at the time. In fact, it