The France star has struggled to live up to a fine first season in England, scoring just twice in 13 appearances since Jose Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal.
Martial was left out of the squad for Thursday's Europa League win over Feyenoord five days after starting the Premier League draw with Arsenal.
And Mourinho says the competition for places among his wide forwards - intensified by Henrikh Mkhitaryan's impressive midweek return - means no one is guaranteed a place.
He said: "The way the team played last season - and I'm not saying better or worse, just different - was probably more adapted to Anthony.
"Probably he was feeling more comfortable playing that way, at that intensity, at that rhythm of the ball possession and ball circulation. So probably he needs also some time.
"But in our squad, for these positions, we have Mkhitaryan, Jesse Lingard, Memphis Depay, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford, Martial. These are probably the positions where we have more options.
"And, you have one opportunity, you have two, you have three - if you don't bite, then somebody comes and takes the meat.
"They are friends, they are colleagues, they work together every day, but in the end they compete between themselves to have more chances to play."
United go into Sunday afternoon's Premier League game at home to West Ham on the back of three successive home draws in the league, a run which has contributed to a nine-point deficit on leaders Chelsea.
But the gap can be bridged, according to Mourinho, who said: "You can recover points. Other teams can lose points. During the season, there are moments where everything goes against you and where everything goes in your favour.
"We know that the game is not over - but the reality is that there is a distance, and there are many quality teams. It's a very difficult competition, but let's go match by match and see what happens."
(Sky Sports)
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