Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren has criticised Marcus Rashford’s attitude ahead of his return to the dugout at Old Trafford.
McClaren will be part of new boss Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff as the Dutch manager aims to turn the club’s fortunes around after a dismal 21/22 campaign.
United are preparing for pre season which is due to start on June 27, players who were not involved in the international fixtures this month will report back to the club's training centre in Carrington.
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Rashford will be one of the players after he was overlooked by England manager Gareth Southgate for the recent Nations League fixtures. The 24-year-old endured a torrid 21/22 season, and will be hoping that a fresh start will help him rediscover his best form.
McClaren will be keeping a close eye on Rashford after he questioned the Englishman’s attitude in January, after United’s narrow 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round.
He told talkSPORT: “I hate that attitude in a player.”
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“Body language is so, so important and that was the criticism of United players in the last few weeks, but Rashford has probably had this problem throughout his career in terms of questioning his attitude.”
The former England manager added: “He gets deterred too easily and doesn't fight through bad moments. He doesn't stay in the game. If he's not having a good game, he's not having a good game.”
“If he's not having a good first half, he'll never have a good second half. I just look at him and think that boy needs help, off the field and through the manager.”
Rashford looked severely out of sorts during a season where he only managed to rack up five goals in 32 appearances in all competitions.
McClaren stated that Rashford needed to accept his attitude problems in order to seek help off the pitch.
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He said: “The help is there in modern football. He (Southgate) has brought in a sports psychologist. He (Rashford) has got the talent and the ability.”
“There's that one cornerstone which we call mentality, attitude, which he hasn't grasped yet. There are certain tools with which you can come out of bad times, so you play one bad pass and don’t make it two or three.”
“You get back to playing simple again. 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.”
With the World Cup in Qatar getting underway later this year, Rashford will have to prove to many people that he deserves a place in the England squad.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Marcus Rashford, Manchester United, England, Football, Football World Cup
