Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has called on Liverpool manager Arne Slot to make the “big decision” of dropping Mohamed Salah, following the Reds’ disastrous 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest.
Rooney, speaking on his latest podcast, argued that the club icon’s performance is contributing to the team’s struggles.
“If I were Slot, I’d try and make a big decision,” Rooney said, criticising Salah’s work rate: “Salah is not helping them defensively.”
He suggested the lack of effort sets a poor example for benched players.
Liverpool sits 11th in the Premier League, having registered only one win in their last seven league matches.
The Egyptian forward, who broke records last season, failed to score or assist in the recent loss.
Rooney acknowledged the immense pressure on Slot, noting that the shadow of predecessor Jürgen Klopp “keeps getting brought up,” and urged fans to move on and back the current manager.
Captain Virgil van Dijk insisted the team must “take responsibility” to end what Slot terms a “very bad spell.”
