Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney has criticised Mohamed Salah for his recent outburst against Liverpool, warning that the Egyptian could be harming his standing at the club.
Salah had said on Saturday that he felt Liverpool had “thrown him under the bus,” claiming his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had deteriorated. His remarks came amid concerns over reduced playing time and internal tensions.
Reacting to the controversy on Monday, Rooney argued that Slot should now assert authority by excluding Salah from upcoming fixtures, including Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Inter Milan and Saturday’s Premier League game against Brighton.
According to Rooney, the Liverpool manager needs to send a clear message. “Arne Slot has to show his authority and pull him in and say, ‘you are not travelling with the team; what you said is not acceptable,’” he said on his podcast. “Take yourself off to Afcon and let everything calm down. If I was him, there’s no way he would be in the team.”
Rooney added that Salah must either resolve his issues with Slot or consider moving on from the club. “It needs to be sorted out quickly either way,” he said.
The former England captain also questioned Salah’s decision to publicly air his grievances.
“He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool,” Rooney stated. “It would be sad for him to throw it all away. He’s gone about it all wrong.”
Reports suggest Salah feels sidelined and believes someone within the club is attempting to make him the scapegoat for recent poor results.
