Wayne Rooney has blasted Mohamed Salah for “disrespecting” Liverpool, claiming the forward has damaged his legacy with comments made after being left on the bench during Liverpool’s 3–3 draw with Leeds United.
Salah, who has been an unused substitute for three consecutive matches amid Liverpool’s poor run of form, said he had been “thrown under the bus” and claimed he had no relationship with manager Arne Slot.
Speaking to the BBC, Rooney questioned why the Egyptian would make such remarks.
“Why would you come out and say that?” Rooney asked. “Salah has been incredible for Liverpool. As a player he is quiet, he keeps himself to himself. Last year he was vocal about not being offered a new contract — and he deserved what he got. But you can’t flip it and then say what he just said. It was disrespectful to his teammates, his manager, the fans.”
Rooney added that Salah’s dip in form this season made Slot’s decision understandable.
“Time catches up with all of us. He hasn’t been at his best or sharpest. Slot has seen that and put him on the bench. You want to see him roll his sleeves up — not act like he doesn’t need to earn his place. If I was one of his teammates, I wouldn’t be happy. At this moment, they need him the most. If anything, he’s thrown Liverpool under the bus.”
Rooney urged Salah to either fix the situation or consider leaving Anfield entirely.
“He’s either got to speak to the manager and put something out publicly, or leave the club. It needs sorting quickly,” he said. “He is absolutely destroying his legacy. He could have had a massive one — he’s up there with the club’s greats — but he’s going about it all wrong.”
Salah is scheduled to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15, possibly keeping him away for a month. Rooney suggested the timing of Salah’s comments was intentional.
“He’ll have protection from next week, being away with Egypt. It’s premeditated — drop a bombshell then leave. Honestly, it might be good for Liverpool to get him out of the way for a bit.”
Rooney urged Slot to take decisive action ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan on Tuesday.
“Slot has to show authority: don’t take him. Tell him, ‘What you said isn’t acceptable — go to AFCON and let things cool down.’ If I were Slot, he wouldn’t be anywhere near the team.”
Salah, who signed a contract extension earlier this year, has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances since joining from Roma in 2017. But at 33, he has only four goals in 13 league games this season.
Rooney suggested Salah is struggling to accept his decline.
“When you reach a certain age and performances drop, you look for reasons. The last person you blame is yourself — that’s what’s happening. Over the next couple of years, he’ll regret these comments. Only he can fix it by playing better.”
Rooney compared the situation to his own experience at Manchester United under José Mourinho.
“I was benched after a bad game. I went in, had an honest talk with Jose, asked to go on loan. He said no but that I could leave in the summer. I shook his hand, didn’t complain again, and got on with it. That’s how you handle it — not like Salah has.”