Wayne Rooney's Strong Message to Arne Slot on Mohamed Salah
Wayne Rooney has called on Arne Slot to make a brutal statement of authority by leaving Mohamed Salah out of Liverpool’s final game of the season against Brentford, accusing the Egyptian of selfishness and open disrespect towards his manager.
The Manchester United great believes Salah “dropped a grenade” on Slot and the Liverpool dressing room with his latest public demand for a return to the “heavy metal” football associated with Jurgen Klopp – a message widely read as a swipe at Slot’s current approach.
Rooney: “You can’t publicly disrespect him twice”
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain did not hide his disappointment at how one of Liverpool’s modern icons is handling what appear to be his final days at the club.
“I find it sad at the end of what he’s done and what he’s achieved at Liverpool,” Rooney said. “It’s not the point for him to come out and aim another dig at Slot. 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 anymore. I think his legs have gone to play at that high tempo and high intensity.”
Rooney went further, accusing Salah of undermining both manager and teammates.
“He's almost just dropped the grenade and said he doesn't trust and believe in Arne Slot and almost thrown his teammates who are going to be there next season and let them have to deal with that as well and put them into a position.”
The tension between player and manager has been simmering for months. Salah was dropped earlier in the season after accusing Slot and Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” over his reduced game time. Now, with another public jab, Rooney believes the 31-year-old is trying to shield himself from criticism after a steep drop-off in form.
Last season, Salah fired Liverpool to the Premier League title with 29 league goals. This campaign, he has just 12 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions as Liverpool slide towards a fifth-place finish. For a player who has scored 257 goals for the club, it is a stark contrast.
“I think Salah's trying to vindicate himself and make himself feel better because he's had a very poor season,” Rooney said. “So I think he's been very selfish in what he's done in the two occasions. It's a shame and fans will be on his side, but I think when you look deeper into it and having been in a dressing room in a similar situation to that as well, Mo Salah knows exactly what he's doing.”
Ferguson, authority and a warning for Slot
Rooney then reached for the most powerful reference point he has: Sir Alex Ferguson.
To him, Slot’s response to Salah is not just a tactical decision. It is a test of control.
“If I was Arne Slot, I’d have him nowhere near the stadium in the last game,” Rooney insisted. He recalled his own clash with Ferguson, when a disagreement saw him omitted from the legendary manager’s final game at Old Trafford.
“I had it with Alex Ferguson. I had a disagreement and fall out and at Alex Ferguson’s last game at Old Trafford, he left me out of the squad for that reason. That’s your manager. You can’t publicly disrespect him twice the way he has 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 anywhere near the place on Saturday, whether you like it or not. I really doubt he will do it, but I think he should.”
For Rooney, the principle is clear: the manager’s word has to be final, even if it means denying one of the club’s greatest players a sentimental farewell.
“Of course he deserves a good send off but does he deserve it just for this? It’s the second time he’s done it. It’s just a shame to see one of the great icon of Premier League players leave the Premier League probably in this situation.”
A fading title defence and a flat Anfield
Salah’s outburst comes against the backdrop of a Liverpool season that has unravelled quickly. A team that stormed to the title last year has watched its defence collapse, its intensity drain, and its aura at Anfield dim.
Rooney pinpointed that loss of aggression as the root of a wider malaise.
“I think that's the biggest change for me where you go to Anfield, the first thing you want to do is quieten the crowd. But I think actually by Liverpool not pressing they're quietening the crowd down themselves and frustrating the Liverpool fans,” he said.
The fear factor has evaporated. Instead of opponents scrambling under a red tide, it is the home crowd that is left restless and subdued.
Rooney even questioned the commitment of some players during this slump, suggesting a few have “downed tools” during a difficult run. It is a damning observation from someone who has lived through title races and dressing-room fractures.
“I’m quite split in should he go or should he stay because he won the league last season, I think he deserves a bit more time, in terms of what we’ve seen this season,” Rooney added. “I don't feel right or good saying this, some players look like they've downed tools and that's a big problem if you see that or you feel that for the manager.”
That is the storm Slot now has to ride. A fading champion, a fractured dressing room, a fanbase on edge – and his most famous forward firing shots on social media.
Whether he chooses to “pull rank” and leave Salah at home against Brentford will say plenty about how he intends to rule this Liverpool side once the final whistle of the season blows.
