Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney defended the position of Liverpool manager Arne Slot but insisted that the Dutch boss must drop Mohamed Salah during this disastrous run of form.
Salah is enduring one of his worst seasons in a Liverpool shirt, straight off the back of arguably his best in 2024–25. The reigning Premier League Player of the Year boasts just four goals in 12 top-flight games—he had 10 at this stage of the previous campaign.
As his attacking output diminishes, focus has shifted towards his defensive work rate—or lack thereof. Slot freely admits that his star forward operates under different requirements to ensure that his energy is saved for the sharp end of the pitch. Yet, teams have increasingly targeted the flank which Salah routinely leaves unguarded.
This very weekend, Nottingham Forest scored their second goal of a 3–0 Anfield win by buccaneering down Liverpool’s right wing, with Neco Williams running off Salah’s shoulder to tee up Nicolò Savona. Throughout the Premier League season, 22% of the shots Liverpool have faced have come down that flank—the highest such proportion in the division—compared to just 10% on the opposite side, per .
Rooney called out Liverpool’s talisman. “Salah is not helping them defensively,” he told his self-titled podcast.
“If you’re one of the players who they’ve signed and you’re on the bench and you’ve seen him not running—and again he’s a club legend and everything he’s done for the club—but if you’re on the bench, then what message does that send to you?
“If I was Slot, I’d try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team.” When asked by Kelly Somers to clarify if he meant dropping Salah, Rooney confirmed that was his stance.
“When you’re not winning games, you want to try and stay compact and hard to beat, so I think while they’re going through this period, 100% he needs to make a decision,” the retired England captain doubled down.
Rooney did go on to point out the impact of Diogo Jota’s tragic passing as an undeniable factor behind Liverpool’s form. Salah hinted at the impact of this devastating loss on the opening night of the season after breaking down in tears in front of the Kop while Jota’s chant was being belted out.
“You’ve probably got to look at the effect of what sadly happened to Jota,” Rooney added. “What effect does that have on the players because that’s his teammates? That surely has to have an effect.”
However, he still concluded: “But then there’s no excuse for not fighting and not tackling.”
