Mohamed Salah is destroying his Liverpool legacy, says Wayne Rooney
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Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during training at the AXA Training Centre in Liverpool on Dec 8, 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is destroying his legacy at the club with his fiery reaction to being left out of the side, former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney said.
The 33-year-old has failed to start their last three matches and lashed out at the club and manager Arne Slot following the 3-3 English Premier League draw with Leeds United on Dec 6, saying he had been made a scapegoat for their poor start to the season.
On Dec 8, he was left out of the Liverpool squad who will travel to Italy to face Inter Milan in the Champions League, despite taking part in training at Melwood in seemingly good spirits earlier in the day.
But several British media reports said Salah’s omission for the Dec 9 match was not for disciplinary reasons.
They reported that it is in the best interest of all parties involved for Salah to have a brief period away from selection, given the nature and timing of the player’s public comments.
The BBC added “it is understood this is a decision which relates solely to squad selection and there will be no formal disciplinary action taken by the club”.
The Egyptian, who in April signed a two-year contract extension worth £400,000 (S$691,000) a week, has become an iconic figure in an eight-year spell at Liverpool, during which he has won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League.
Salah is the Reds’ third-highest goalscorer of all time, with 250 goals in 420 appearances for the club. However, he has scored just five goals in 19 games in all competitions this season.
“He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool,” Rooney said on his BBC podcast before the squad was announced. “It would be sad for him to throw it all away. He’s gone about it all wrong.
“Arne Slot has to show his authority and pull him in and say, ‘You are not travelling with the team – what you said is not acceptable’.
“Take yourself off to AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) and let everything calm down. If I was him, there would be no way he would be in the team.”
The Guardian reported that individuals in the Reds’ hierarchy are believed to have discussed the matter but have chosen not to acerbate the situation with a public response.
Salah had said he felt as if he had been “thrown under the bus”, with Liverpool failing to reproduce their title-winning form from last season.
The BBC reported that “Salah’s relationship with Slot is genuinely broken at present”, adding that the Egyptian star does not see a future at Anfield with the Dutchman at the helm.
The Premier League champions are ninth in the Premier League, 10 points behind leaders Arsenal after 15 games.
“If anything, he has thrown Liverpool under the bus with his words,” Rooney said. “I am sure over the next couple of years, he will regret saying what he has.”
During Salah’s explosive interview, he was asked about a move to Saudi Arabia, to which he replied: “Is there interest from Saudi Arabia? I don’t want to answer that question because the club will take me in a different direction.”
However, The Telegraph have reported that Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are the clubs most likely to sign Salah, should he and Liverpool decide to part ways. Al-Ittihad failed in a £150 million move for Salah in September 2023.
While Rooney and several other players, including former Reds Michael Owen and Danny Murphy, have criticised Salah’s actions, former Chelsea captain John Terry was more sympathetic.
In a video posted on his TikTok account, Terry said: “I think he’d be the first one to say he’s been out of form this season, but I have to agree with him as well.
“I think he has been made a scapegoat a little bit. I think a lot of Liverpool players, including himself, have been out of form recently.
“And to leave him out – I’m not being funny, if there’s one player that can win you a game, it’s going to be him, so it’s a big call from the manager.
“Also, when you keep him on side, when you bring experienced players in the office and give them the reasons why they are being left out, you have nowhere to go but being shown that respect from the manager is really important.”
Liverpool will be joined in Champions League action on Dec 9 by English rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues are also headed to Italy to face Atalanta in Bergamo, while fellow London side Tottenham will host Czech team Slavia Prague. REUTERS, AFP
