Summary:
- Wayne Rooney says Mohamed Salah is damaging his reputation with public criticism of Liverpool and coach Arne Slot.
- Rooney believes Slot should leave Salah out of upcoming games and insists the situation needs to be resolved quickly.
- Salah says he feels “thrown under the bus” after losing his place in the lineup and seeing his relationship with Slot break down.
Wayne Rooney who had urged Liverpool to drop Mohamed Salah, didn’t hold back when he was asked about Salah’s recent comments. The former Manchester United striker believes Salah is damaging the reputation he built at Liverpool, and he thinks the situation needs to be dealt with fast.
Rooney: “It Needs to Be Sorted Out Quickly”
Salah said on Saturday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and that his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had collapsed. Those remarks came after another game in which he didn’t start.
The 33-year-old has now gone three straight matches without making the starting lineup and didn’t get on the field at all in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Leeds.
Rooney said the responsibility now falls on Slot to set the tone.
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. Take yourself off to Afcon and let everything calm down. If I was him there would be no way he would be in the team.
Coming from a player who spent years in dressing rooms full of strong personalities, Rooney’s take is straightforward. Either Salah and Slot fix the problem, or Salah moves on.
It needs to be sorted out quickly either way
Salah: “It Feels Like the Club Has Thrown Me Under the Bus”
Salah, who has scored 250 goals in 420 Liverpool matches, told reporters after the draw at Leeds that he didn’t understand how things had changed so suddenly.
I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
Salah signed a new two-year contract in April and remains one of Liverpool’s most important players, but his form hasn’t matched last season’s output. He has four goals in 13 league matches, and Liverpool as a whole have struggled under Slot this year. They sit ninth in the table, already 10 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Rooney questioned why Salah would choose to voice his frustrations publicly.
He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool. It would be sad for him to throw it all away. He’s gone about it all wrong.
He also pointed out the reaction he expects within the squad after Salah said he didn’t feel he needed to “fight” for his place. Rooney said that kind of comment “wouldn’t be welcomed” in any dressing room, especially when the team needs leadership. In his view, Salah will likely look back on this moment with regret.
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