Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has pointed the finger at Mohamed Salah for Liverpool’s ongoing struggles and has advised manager Arne Slot to consider leaving the forward out of the starting XI.
Liverpool’s woes deepened over the weekend following a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, marking their eighth loss in their last 11 matches across all competitions.
Despite the club’s heavy investment—£446 million spent on new signings Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Hugo Ekitike—a number of players have failed to replicate last season’s performance levels.
Discussing the latest setback, Rooney singled out Salah, who had an exceptional 2024–25 campaign with 57 goal contributions in 52 matches but has managed only five goals in 17 appearances so far this season.
“If I were Slot, I’d make a big call to shake up the team,” Rooney said on his podcast.
“Salah isn’t helping them defensively. If you’re a new signing sitting on the bench and you see him not tracking back — and yes, he’s a club legend — but what message does that send?”
Liverpool currently sit 11th in the league table with 18 points from 12 matches.
“They’re clearly going through a difficult period,” Rooney added.
“You also have to consider the emotional impact of what happened to Jota. That kind of situation affects teammates — it has to. But even with that, there’s no excuse for not fighting or making tackles.”
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