Wayne Rooney believes new Liverpool manager Arne Slot must drop Mohamed Salah to send a strong message to his struggling squad after a string of poor results.
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has advised under-fire Liverpool manager Arne Slot to drop club icon Mohamed Salah to send a decisive message to his struggling squad following a disastrous run of form that has seen the champions lose six of their last seven league games.
According to a report from The Daily Star, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has urged Arne Slot to “axe” Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in the wake of the side’s latest crushing defeat, a 3-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest.
The champions have now lost six of their last seven league games, causing them to slump to 11th in the Premier League table.
Salah failed to register a goal or assist in the defeat to Forest, leading Rooney to again accuse the Egyptian superstar of not working hard enough to help his team.
Rooney believes dropping the forward, who was voted ‘player of the year’ last season, would send a “serious message” to the other players.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England and United captain said: “If I was Slot, I’d try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team. Salah is not helping them defensively.”
Rooney emphasised the message this sends to the rest of the squad, adding: “If you’re one of the players who they’ve signed and you’re on the bench and you’ve seen him not running – and again he’s a club legend and everything he’s done for the club – but if you’re on the bench, then what message does that send to you?”
Rooney also suggested that the tragic death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota in a car accident in the summer “could be the reason” Slot’s team is struggling, but insisted, “there’s no excuse for not fighting and not tackling.”