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England legend Wayne Rooney has slammed Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool star's public outrage against the club and manager Arne Slot. Rooney feels Salah is destroying his own legacy at the club by going public with his comments. The Egyptian forward recently claimed he has been thrown under the bus by Liverpool and revealed his relationship with Slot has broken down.
Salah dropped the bombshell while speaking to the press after Liverpool's 3-3 draw against Leeds United, where he was an unused substitute. Hinting at an exit in the near future, Salah said it was clear to him that someone wants him to get all the blame for Liverpool's struggles in the ongoing season.
Salah has now failed to start for Liverpool in their last three matches across competitions and has been mostly used as a substitute this season. The 33-year-old has been one of Liverpool's best players ever since joining the club in 2017, however, he has failed to live up to the standards so far this season.
"He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool," Rooney said on the BCC, questioning the need for Salah to go public with his comments about the club and the coach.
"It would be sad for him to throw it all away. He's gone about it all wrong," added the five-time Premier League winner.
Salah finished as the top scorer in the Premier League last season to help Liverpool lift the title in Slot's first season in charge of the club. The Egyptian forward scored an impressive 29 goals to fire Liverpool to the crown, however, he has failed to replicate his performances this season. Salah has managed only 4 goals in 13 matches in the Premier League this season as Liverpool continue to struggle.
Rooney said Salah was wrong to say, "I don't have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it" during his outburst. The Manchester United legend feels Salah should have rather stood up to the challenge and responded on the pitch with his performances. Rooney argued Salah's comments reeked of arrogance and said he wouldn't have been happy with his comments if he were one of his Liverpool teammates.
"Time catches up with all of us, and this season he hasn't looked as his best, at his sharpest. You want to see him roll his sleeves up and say 'ok then, I'll show you'. To have the arrogance to say he doesn't have to earn his place because he has already earned his place, you need to be at your best every week to try and stay in the team," said Rooney.
"If I was one of his teammates, I wouldn't be happy at all with what he said because this is where Liverpool need him most. If anything, he has thrown Liverpool under the bus with his words," he added.
The former England forward added that Salah has been disrespectful towards his manager and teammates with his recent comments about the club.
"He's been absolutely incredible for Liverpool, but this was disrespectful to his team-mates, manager and fans," said Rooney.
Rooney believes Liverpool manager Slot will have to show his authority and remind everyone who is in charge at the club after Salah's public outrage. Despite obvious differences between them, Slot has not yet publicly spoken against Salah regarding the dip in his performances after he signed a new two-year contract at Liverpool in April this year.
Rooney said if he were in Slot's place, Salah would be nowhere near the squad for Liverpool's next game against Inter Milan in the Champions League or their next Premier League clash against Brighton.
"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'," said Rooney.
"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," he added.
It remains to be seen how Slot will handle the situation now that Salah has gone public about their broken relationship. Liverpool will take on Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday. They have been winless in their last two games and will hope to break the deadlock against Inter.
