Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has accused Mohamed Salah of “ruining his legacy” at Liverpool, saying the Egyptian effectively threw the club under the bus with his explosive public outburst against head coach Arne Sloto.
Salah said it he felt Liverpool had “thrown him under the bus”. and that his relationship with Sloto completely fell apart. The 33-year-old has failed to start Liverpool’s last three games and was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United.
Rooney said in his latest podcast episode that Slot now needs to show leadership and take decisive action.
“Arne Slot needs to show his authority and pull him in and say ‘you’re not traveling with the team, what you said is unacceptable’,” Rooney said. “Go to Afcon and let everything calm down. If I were him, he wouldn’t be in the team.”
Rooney added that Salah must either resolve his differences with Sloto or leave the club altogether. “It needs to be resolved quickly both ways,” he said.
Salah, who has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances for Liverpool since joining from Roma in 2017, signed a new two-year deal in April. He played a crucial role in the Premier League triumph last season, scoring 29 league goals, but has increasingly found himself on the sidelines this campaign. He has scored four times in 13 Premier League games so far.
Following the draw at Elland Road, Salah expressed his frustration at the changing dynamic at the club. “I’ve said many times before that I have a good relationship with the manager and suddenly we don’t have a relationship,” he said. “It feels like the club threw me under the bus. That’s how I feel. I think it’s very clear that someone wanted me to take all the blame for it.”
Rooney has questioned Salah’s decision to go public, insisting the forward’s comments have damaged his standing at Anfield. “He’s absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool,” Rooney said. “It would be sad for him to throw it all away.
Rooney also took issue with Salah’s claim that he doesn’t have to “fight every day” for his position because he has already earned it.
“Time catches up with us all and he hasn’t looked his best, his sharpest this season,” Rooney said. “You want to see him roll up his sleeves and say ‘ok, I’ll show you’. To have the arrogance to say he doesn’t have to earn his place because he’s already earned his place – you have to be your best every week to try to stay in the team.”
“If I was one of his teammates I wouldn’t be happy at all with what he said because that’s where Liverpool need him the most. If anything, he’s thrown Liverpool under the bus with his words. He’s been absolutely incredible for Liverpool, but this was disrespectful to his teammates, the manager and the fans.”
Rooney warned that Salah’s outburst could create further tension in the dressing room. “I would imagine he will be very quiet on the training pitch and that in itself will bring a negative energy to the new players that Arne has come in,” he said. “I’m sure in the next few years he’ll regret saying what he has.”
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
December 8, 2025
