Liverpool: Rooney tells Slot to ‘pull rank’ for final game as he slams ‘very selfish’ Salah | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has told Liverpool head coach Arne Slot how to deal with Mohamed Salah following his latest outburst.

The 2025/26 campaign has been incredibly disappointing for Liverpool, who have made a really weak defence of their Premier League title in a trophyless season.

Slot has gradually lost fan support due to his uninspiring style of play and poor results, and Salah has not helped him.

Salah was the best player in the Premier League last season, but he has declined massively this term and will leave on a free transfer this summer.

The forward has also publicly hit out at Slot on a couple of occasions. Over the weekend, he urged Liverpool to go back to being the “heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear”.

In response, Rooney has urged Slot to leave Salah out of his Liverpool side for the final game of the Premier League season this weekend.

“I find it sad at the end of what he’s done and what he’s achieved at Liverpool. It’s not the point for him to come out and aim another dig at Slot,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show.

“He wants to play heavy metal football, so he’s basically saying he wants Jurgen Klopp football. Now I don’t think Mo Salah can cope with that type of football anymore. I think his legs have gone to play at that high tempo and high intensity.

“If I was Arne Slot, I’d have him nowhere near the stadium in the last game. I had it with Alex Ferguson. I had a disagreement and fall out and at Alex Ferguson’s last game at Old Trafford, he left me out of the squad for that reason.

“He’s almost just dropped the grenade and said he doesn’t trust and believe in Arne Slot and almost thrown his teammates who are going to be there next season and let them have to deal with that as well and put them into a position.”

“He’s been very selfish…”

Rooney has also argued that Salah made his comment over the weekend to “vindicate himself” and he “knows exactly what he’s doing”.

“I think Salah’s trying to vindicate himself and make himself feel better because he’s had a very poor season,” Rooney added.

“So I think he’s been very selfish in what he’s done in the two occasions. It’s a shame and fans will be on his side, but I think when you look deeper into it and having been in a dressing room in a similar situation to that as well, Mo Salah knows exactly what he’s doing.

“That’s your manager. You can’t publicly disrespect him twice the way he has and get away with it. And that’s where if I was Arne Slot, I’d have to pull rank and just say, listen, you’re not coming anywhere near the place on Saturday, whether you like it or not. I really doubt he will do it, but I think he should.

“Of course he deserves a good send off but does he deserve it just for this? It’s the second time he’s done it. it’s just a shame to see one of the great icon of Premier League players leave the Premier League probably in this situation.”

But Rooney believes that other Liverpool players have also hung Slot out to dry this season.

He continued: “I think that’s the biggest change for me where you go to Anfield, the first thing you want to do is quieten the crowd. But I think actually by Liverpool not pressing they’re quietening the crowd down themselves and frustrating the Liverpool fans.

“And so that’s the big, big change for me. I’m quite split in should he go or should he stay because he won the league last season, I think he deserves a bit more time, in terms of what we’ve seen this season.

“I don’t feel right or good saying this, some players look like they’ve downed tools and that’s a big problem if you see that or you feel that for the manager.”