Callum McAvoy
Published November 24, 2025 11:55am
Updated November 24, 2025 11:55am
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Wayne Rooney says Arne Slot must make a ‘big decision’ regarding one Liverpool star (Photo: Getty)
Wayne Rooney has urged to Arne Slot to drop Mohamed Salah, claiming the Liverpool star is not pulling his weight amid the team’s atrocious form.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence is already all but over after a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, which leaves them 11 points behind top of the table Arsenal.
Just months after winning the league in his debut season, Slot is under huge pressure after losing six of the last seven league games, with former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp tipped to make a sensational return to Anfield.
While much criticism has been aimed at the manager and many of his underperforming summer signings, blame can also be attributed to some of the team’s stalwarts, most notably Salah.
The Egyptian King has recorded just five goals and three assists in 17 games this season – far below his lofty standards – and Rooney claims the 33-year-old is not pulling his weight defensively either.
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‘Salah is not helping them defensively and if you’re one of the players who they’ve signed and you’re sat on the bench and you’ve seen him not running…,’ the Manchester United legend said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
‘I get that he’s a club legend and everything he’s done for the club, but if you’re on the bench then what message does it send to you, that your teammate is not running back?
Mo Salah is a Liverpool legend’ but looks out of sorts this season (Photo: Getty)
‘He’s starting every game. If I was Arne Slot I’d try and make a big decision that has an impact on the rest of the team.’
Asked if Slot should drop Salah, Rooney replied: ‘I think so, yeah.
‘When you’re not winning games, you want to try and stay compact and hard to beat. So I think while they’re going through this period, 100 per cent he needs to make a decision and get them compact and hard to beat, with every player running back.
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‘And then, when you start winning games, you can bring him back in and hope he is running back more. But I think that’ll have an impact on them for sure.’
Some have suggested that Salah’s poor form, both offensively and defensively, can be attributed to the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, with the winger struggling to adjust, especially with Slot continually rotating his right-backs.
Rooney’s former United captain Gary Neville agrees that the Reds need to be more compact and has suggested that forgotten Liverpool defender Joe Gomez should return to the line-up to help this.
Should Joe Gomez return to the Liverpool starting XI (Photo: Getty)
‘The manager has to change the style or the system, and he has to help them. It means being more solid at the back and I’m talking about personnel changes,’ the former right-back said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
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‘Milos Kerkez is struggling, Ibrahima Konate is struggling. So, almost like Arsenal and Manchester City have done, put four centre-backs in your back-four and just keep a narrow, tight back-four.
‘Maybe Joe Gomez should play right-back and Andy Robertson should come in at left-back and they should just play as a narrow back four and be a little bit more pragmatic.’
It remains to be seen if Slot will take up Rooney or Neville’s advice, with Liverpool next in action on Wednesday night when they host PSV in the Champions League.
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