Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has urged striker Anthony Martial to “give me things that I like” if he wants to feature in the first team.
The 21-year-old, who joined United for £36m in 2015, has started 12 Premier League games this season.
And the France forward was left out of the match-day squad for last Sunday’s 2-0 win over Chelsea.
“I go in the direction of the players, they have to also come in my direction,” said the Portuguese.
“The same way I know what the players like, I think the players also know what I like,” he added.
“That’s why [Marcus] Rashford, even without scoring goals, is always a player I trust and I play. He is always a player I support because he is always coming in the direction that I want from a Manchester United player.
“It’s about going in the direction we like. Is Anthony [Martial] a player with great potential? Yes, I think. Can he play successfully for me? Yes, I think. But he needs to give me things that I like very much.”
Martial has fallen behind Rashford in the attacking pecking order at United, with the 19-year-old England striker having scored twice in his past three games.
Martial came on as a substitute in the first leg of United’s Europa League quarter-final in Anderlecht on Thursday and could feature in the return leg at Old Trafford.
Mourinho suggested that captain Wayne Rooney, who has started just one Premier League game this year because of injury, could feature on the bench on Thursday.
“He’s working now and improving and if in today’s training session the answer is positive I will select him to be on the bench tomorrow,” said Mourinho.
“We have seven to play in the Premier League and hopefully four in the Europa League.
“We don’t have many players. We lost players in the January market and didn’t buy players. We need everyone.”