Wayne Rooney didn’t mince his words. Speaking publicly about Mohamed Salah’s final weeks at Liverpool, England’s record goalscorer delivered a damning verdict — and called on Arne Slot to bench the Egyptian winger for the last home game of the season at Anfield. This isn’t just dressing room gossip. It’s a fundamental question about professional loyalty, respect for management, and how a legend should exit a club.
Rooney’s verdict : drop Salah for the Anfield farewell
The former Manchester United and Everton striker was categorical. If he were in Slot’s shoes, he would have left Salah out of the starting lineup — full stop. “That’s your manager,” Rooney said bluntly. “You can’t publicly disrespect him twice the way he has and get away with it.” Strong words. But are they unfair ?
Rooney’s argument rests on a straightforward principle : no player, regardless of his status or legacy, stands above the collective. He acknowledged that Salah deserves a proper send-off after everything he’s given to Liverpool. But he drew a firm line between deserving recognition and earning impunity for repeated public criticism of the head coach.
What makes Rooney’s position credible is his own experience. He’s been in dressing rooms where a big-name player’s exit overshadowed the team’s campaign. He knows how that dynamic corrodes morale. His reading of the situation isn’t theoretical — it’s grounded in real professional experience at the highest level.
Here’s how Rooney framed the core issue :
- Salah publicly undermined Slot on two separate occasions, not just once
- His poor form this season raises questions about his motivations
- A manager who tolerates this sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the squad
- Even a club legend must respect institutional authority
Rooney admitted he doubted Slot would actually drop Salah. But he was clear : he should. That distinction — between what he expects and what he believes is right — is the most honest part of his entire statement.
A season of decline after a record-breaking peak
Context matters here. Salah’s 2024-25 season was extraordinary by any measure — 29 Premier League goals, a fourth Golden Boot (a record for any player in the competition’s history), and a title win in Slot’s debut campaign at the helm. That kind of output cements a legacy.
| Season | Premier League goals | Games played | League position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 29 | ~36 | 1st (Champions) |
| 2025-26 | 12 | 40 | 5th |
The drop-off is stark. Twelve goals in 40 appearances is a respectable return for most players. For Salah, coming off the back of his best-ever Premier League campaign, it reads as underperformance. Liverpool, defending champions, currently sit fifth in the table — a significant regression that no single player can be blamed for, but one that Salah has not managed to arrest.
Rooney’s interpretation of this decline is pointed. “Salah’s trying to vindicate himself,” he said, suggesting the winger’s public grievances against Slot serve a personal agenda — an attempt to shift blame for his own poor form rather than genuine frustration with team management. That’s a tough accusation. It’s also a coherent one.
Salah announced his departure from Anfield back in March. In December, he told reporters that his relationship with Slot had broken down. Going public with internal friction — not once, but twice — is the crux of Rooney’s criticism. This wasn’t a slip of the tongue. It was a calculated move, and Rooney believes Salah knew exactly what he was doing both times.
Legacy, exit, and what Liverpool’s icon leaves behind
Here’s the uncomfortable truth that sits at the heart of this story : Mohamed Salah is one of the greatest players in Premier League history. His departure from Liverpool, whenever it officially happens, will mark the end of an era. Four Golden Boots. Multiple Champions League appearances. A generation of fans who grew up watching him dismantle defences week after week.
That legacy is real. It doesn’t disappear because of a difficult final season. But Rooney’s point — and it’s worth sitting with — is that how you leave matters as much as what you achieved. The manner of an exit shapes how a career is remembered, at least in the short term. Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt at the 2006 World Cup final didn’t erase his genius, but it complicated his farewell narrative.
Salah’s situation is different in scale but similar in structure. His public clashes with Slot have cast a shadow over what should have been a triumphant final chapter at the club he’s served since 2017. Rooney called it “a shame” — and on that specific point, it’s hard to disagree.
What remains genuinely open is whether Slot will have the nerve to act on principle rather than sentiment. Dropping Salah for the Anfield finale would send an unambiguous message to every player in that dressing room : the manager’s authority is non-negotiable. It would also deny Salah the farewell moment he arguably diminished through his own actions. Whether that’s justice or cruelty depends entirely on where your loyalties lie — with the institution, or with the man who served it so brilliantly for nearly a decade.
