Arne Slot should drop Mohamed Salah to help halt Liverpool’s struggles, according to Man United legend Wayne Rooney.
The Reds’ dire run of form continued at the weekend when they were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
That defeat was Liverpool’s eighth in their past 11 games in all competitions, while it was the third time in five matches they have lost by a three-goal margin.
Several players are playing below their title-winning form from last season and despite a summer spend of £446million on the likes of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, Slot’s side look a much worse outfit.
One of those struggling badly is Salah, and after a stunning campaign in 2024-25 where the forward provided 57 goal contributions in 52 games, he has scored just five goals in 17 appearances this time around.
The 33-year-old has been ineffectual in attack, while other teams have also used his perceived defensive weaknesses as a way to get at the Reds.
Man United legend Wayne Rooney has urged Liverpool boss Arne Slot to drop Mohamed Salah
Liverpool are struggling badly at the moment, with the Reds losing eight of their last 11 games
And Rooney felt it was time for Slot to get tough on his talisman as the Dutchman aims to get his side out of this slump.
‘If I was Slot, I’d try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team,’ he said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
‘Salah is not helping them defensively. 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?’
Salah’s defensive deficiencies have been highlighted by other teams, with Chelsea left back Marc Cucurella even saying the Blues targeted Liverpool’s right hand side during their 2-1 win last month.
‘We tried to attack (on their right side) always because we know that Salah is always ready to attack, to play the counter attack,’ he said after the game.
‘So we know that, we practice and the manager tells us that the space is maybe there. We saw that in the last minute.’
When pressed on whether that was a weakness of Liverpool’s, Cucurella added: ‘Yeah, I think they play one style of game that Salah is always ready to attack so we prepare that.
‘If we do the crosses [with] maybe a lot of pace on them, so I think we try to make these things on our side and today it worked, and we can win the game in this way.’
Rooney felt that if Slot dropped Salah it would send a message to the rest of the squad
After an incredible 2024-25 campaign, Salah has struggled to replicate that form this season
Rooney attempted to put his finger on where exactly things are going wrong for Slot and urged Liverpool fans to stop speaking about legendary former boss Jurgen Klopp.
‘They’re going through a hard time, aren’t they?,’ added Rooney. ‘You’ve probably got to look at the effect of what sadly happened to Jota. What effect does that have on the players because that’s his team-mates? That surely has to have an effect.
‘But then there’s no excuse for not fighting and not tackling. I think Slot’s got a big job to get them back playing and winning.
‘The big thing is when he has a run of results like this, Klopp’s name keeps getting brought up.
‘It’s a bit like the presence with Sir Alex Ferguson. For instance, when David Moyes came in [at Manchester United] and [Louis] Van Gaal, Fergie’s name would always get brought up.
‘With Slot, Klopp keeps getting brought up. “He’s not Jurgen Klopp, he’s not as good as Jurgen Klopp”. But I think the Liverpool fans just need to move away from that and get behind him.’
The Reds are languishing in 11th in the Premier League after Saturday’s defeat and return to action on Wednesday when they host PSV in the Champions League.
