Wayne Rooney suggests dropping Salah for Anfield finale

Wayne Rooney, the former Manchester United striker, suggested that Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah should be dropped from the squad for the Reds' final match of the season against Brentford at Anfield. He described Salah as "selfish" following the Egyptian’s comments after Liverpool’s 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa, which left the club's Champions League place uncertain.

Salah emphasized the need for Liverpool to revert to being a "heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear" in a social media post, which many interpreted as a critique of head coach Arne Slot. The 33-year-old forward will leave Liverpool at the end of the season after scoring 257 goals and aiding the club in securing six major trophies over nine years. Rooney felt sad regarding Salah's situation, particularly given his accomplishments, indicating that now was not the time for Salah to target Slot with indirect criticisms.

"He wants to play heavy metal football, so he’s basically saying he wants Jurgen Klopp football. Now I don’t think Mo Salah can cope with that type of football any more. I think his legs have gone to play at that high tempo and high intensity," Rooney mentioned in the Wayne Rooney Show. He expressed that if he were Slot, he wouldn’t include Salah in the lineup for Sunday’s farewell.

Rooney recounted his own experience with Alex Ferguson, mentioning a similar situation where he was sidelined due to a disagreement. He noted that Salah appeared to undermine Slot’s authority, potentially placing his teammates in a difficult position as they face the last game of the season.

Salah, who declared his decision to leave Anfield in March, had a tumultuous relationship with Slot. Despite winning the Premier League Golden Boot four times and tallying 29 goals in the 2024-25 season, he has struggled in the current season, recording only 12 goals in 40 games as Liverpool sits fifth in the Premier League.

Rooney stated that Salah seemed to be trying to justify himself after what he termed a "very poor season". He criticized Salah's public reproaches against Slot, reinforcing that respect for the manager is paramount. "That’s your manager. You can’t publicly disrespect him twice and get away with it. And that’s where if I was Arne Slot, I’d have to pull rank and just say, 'listen, you’re not coming near the place on Saturday,' whether you like it or not."

While Rooney acknowledged Salah's right to a proper send-off, he questioned whether it was warranted given the situation. He remarked on the growing frustration among Liverpool supporters towards Slot, suggesting that some players appeared to have given up, complicating Slot's predicament as well.