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Manchester United sent in the Marines to help Marcus Rashford and Co become first-team material.

Members of the elite commando force were drafted in to help the Reds youngsters deal with pressure situations and hone their clinical mentality.

And United are being rewarded with the Class of 2016 coming through to bolster manager Louis van Gaal's senior squad this campaign, headlined by Mancunian teenage marksman Rashford.

The visit from the Royal Marines was part of the United products' soccer education designed by Under 21s boss Warren Joyce and the academy staff.

“We have different people from different walks of life coming in talking to the young players. We have had the Marines in who talk about practising under pressure for emergency events in ambushes and sabotage," Joyce explained.

“It is not really any different for our young players, obviously the consequences are massively different, but things like muscle memory and doing something without thinking is all about repetition.

“Repetition is important. If you are getting a lot of touches then it becomes second nature.”

Watch: Marcus Rashford profile

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Rashford, 18, could be heading for the Euros next month with Roy Hodgson's England.

The Wythenshawe striker has scored eight goals in 17 matches since his United debut in February to elevate him to national recognition.

But prior to his promotion to Van Gaal's seniors, Rashford's training level was being mixed up to help his game.

“Talk to Michael Owen and he'll tell you that when he was a kid he'd be used to scoring five goals every Sunday morning. It was an easier level but he got used to scoring,” added Joyce.

“If you want to learn to be a finisher and be ruthless you have to enjoying scoring. There are different stages. There has to be a plan for them. If you are trying to make them perfect they have to have the right time to practise.

“We had a specific plan for Marcus. If you want to score goals then you have to practise and we wanted to give him the practise.

“You get it a little bit easier scoring goals in the Under 18s. So there was a plan from this time last year for him that we talked about. We gave him exposure training against Under 21 defender Donald Love which is really hard.

“Then you are playing against Under 18s on a Saturday morning where it is a bit easier. Where you can try a few things out.

“Marcus has changed from a wide player to a forward. Some of the high level details that go into altering your style you have to practise and you have to have a bit of joy doing it as well. When you are changing them you don't want them not to have any joy with the things you are telling them.

“Last year there were times when he trained with the Under 21s where it was harder for him and times when he went with the Under 18s where it was easier. That has brought him on.”

Rashford's rise from youth team player to a Premier League danger-man and into England's 26-man provisional squad for France has been rapid.

But it hasn't shocked Joyce.

“It doesn't surprise us about Marcus. I can remember him playing cage football here as a 10-year-old kid and he was playing with Paul Pogba, Josh King, Tyler Blackett, Will Keane when he was just a little dot,” he added.

“There is still a lot more to come from Marcus. Physically he is going to be a big lad. You don't realise how much of a good footballer he is. There are a lot of facets to his game. He is not just a goalscorer. We look to develop players who can do the lot and he can.

“The amount of ticks in boxes determines how high you can go. If there are a few Xs then maybe they won't quite make it or there is more to do to get that into a tick. He is ticking a lot of boxes. But there is more to come.”

Watch: Van Gaal on what United need to do this summer