Rooney: ‘Salah is Absolutely Destroying His Legacy at Liverpool’
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has spoken out against Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, saying he is damaging his legacy.
Salah expressed feeling “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and claimed his relationship with head coach Arne Slot has deteriorated.
Rooney believes that Slot should assert his authority by leaving Salah out of the upcoming matches against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Brighton next weekend.
In his latest podcast, Rooney stated, “Arne Slot has to show his authority. He should tell Salah that he won’t be traveling with the team because what he said is not acceptable.”
He suggested that Salah should take time away to let things cool down, mentioning, “If I were him, there would be no way he would be in the team.”
Rooney emphasized that Salah needs to resolve his issues with Slot or consider leaving Liverpool altogether. “It needs to be sorted out quickly either way,” he added.
Salah, 33, has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances for Liverpool but has not started the last three matches, remaining an unused substitute in a recent 3-3 draw against Leeds United. After the match, Salah remarked, “I had a good relationship with the manager, and now we don’t have any relationship. It feels like the club has thrown me under the bus, and it seems someone wants me to take the blame.”
Rooney criticized Salah for expressing these thoughts publicly, stating, “He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool. It would be sad for him to throw it all away.”
Liverpool has struggled this season, currently sitting ninth in the table and 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, having won only seven of their first 15 matches. Salah has scored four goals in 13 games so far.
Rooney also disagreed with Salah’s claim that he shouldn’t have to “fight for my position because I earned it.” He noted, “Time catches up with all of us, and this season, he hasn’t looked at his best.”
Rooney concluded that Salah’s remarks were disrespectful to his teammates, manager, and fans. He believes Salah will likely regret his comments in the future as they could create negative energy in the team. -BBC
