Wayne Rooney has criticised Mohamed Salah’s public attack on manager Arne Slot, warning that the forward risks erasing much of what he has achieved at Liverpool unless the situation is handled firmly.
Rooney said Slot should reassert control by excluding Salah from the squad for the upcoming trip to Italy, urging the manager to make clear that such comments are unacceptable. He suggested Salah should head to the Africa Cup of Nations and allow tensions to cool rather than remain part of the travelling party.
The controversy began after Salah voiced anger at being left out of the starting XI for the third straight match in a 3-3 draw with Leeds, saying he felt “thrown under the bus” and that his relationship with Slot had broken down. Despite taking part in a training session before Liverpool’s Champions League fixture, the player’s public remarks have fuelled debate over his future at the club.
Rooney was blunt in his assessment: the way Salah handled the matter is harming his standing at Anfield. “He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool,” Rooney said, calling the episode a regrettable misstep from a player who has been a pillar for the club.
Salah, 33, remains one of Liverpool’s most prolific scorers, with 250 goals in 420 appearances but this season has seen a marked drop in his output, with just four Premier League goals in 13 games as the side slip down the table. Rooney warned that preserving the team’s unity and the manager’s authority should be the priority, and that Salah’s conduct must change if he is to protect the reputation he built at the club.
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