Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has blamed Mohamed Salah for Liverpool’s recent slump and urged manager Arne Slot to consider dropping the forward from the starting lineup.
The Reds’ dire run of form continued at the weekend as they lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield. The defeat was Liverpool’s eighth in their past 11 games in all competitions.
A number of players have fallen well short of the standards they set during last season’s title run, despite the £446 million signing of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Hugo Ekitike.
Speaking about Liverpool’s recent defeat, Rooney singled out Mohamed Salah, who enjoyed a stunning campaign in 2024-25, where the forward provided 57 goal contributions in 52 games. He has scored just five goals in 17 appearances this time around.
“If I were Slot, I’d try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team,” said Rooney in his latest podcast episode.
“Salah is not helping them defensively.
“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?” Rooney said.
Liverpool sit 11th in the table, with 18 points from 12 games.
“They’re going through a hard time, aren’t they?.
“You’ve probably got to look at the effect of what sadly happened to Jota.
What effect does that have on the players, because that’s his teammates? That surely has to have an effect.
“But then there’s no excuse for not fighting and not tackling,” the five-time Premier League winner added.
