Rooney Warns Salah Is ‘Destroying His Legacy,’ Urges Slot to Bench Him Immediately

LIVERPOOL: The long and storied career of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool is suddenly facing an uncertain future after the star forward publicly accused the club of souring his relationship with Head Coach Arne Slot and attempting to shift blame onto him.

The 33-year-old Egyptian, a crucial figure in Liverpool’s Premier League era with 250 goals in 420 appearances, stated Saturday that his bond with the manager had vanished and he felt “thrown under the bus.”

“I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship,” Salah told reporters, adding, “I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.”

Salah’s comments follow a period of reduced involvement, including being an unused substitute in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United, and failing to start the preceding two matches. This comes despite Salah signing a new two-year contract extension just last April, which was expected to cement his future at Anfield.

The ambiguity regarding the source of the conflict—whether it stems directly from Slot’s decisions or higher up the club hierarchy (the implied “someone”)—has intensified the crisis.

Former Manchester United great Wayne Rooney was quick to weigh in, not on the merit of Salah’s complaints, but on the public nature of the response.

“He is absolutely destroying his legacy at Liverpool,” Rooney asserted, urging the club to address the issue immediately. “It needs to be sorted out quickly either way,” suggesting the potential options are a swift reconciliation or a permanent separation.

The timing could not be worse for Liverpool, with the crucial Champions League fixture against Inter Milan on Tuesday looming. Arne Slot now faces a defining moment early in his tenure: either restoring the relationship with his most potent goal threat or asserting discipline at the cost of immediate firepower. Salah is due to depart soon for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which may offer a temporary cooling-off period, but the fundamental issues between the club and the player remain unresolved.