Rooney slams Salah as ‘selfish’ and ‘disrespectful’, urges Slot to drop him for final Liverpool game against Brentford
The fallout around Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot has intensified again in the final days of Liverpool’s season, with Wayne Rooney delivering a blunt and pointed assessment after the forward’s latest social media message questioning the team’s direction.Salah’s post, which came after Liverpool’s heavy defeat to Aston Villa, called for a return to the “heavy metal” football associated with Jurgen Klopp, a line widely interpreted as a direct criticism of Slot’s more controlled, possession-based approach.“I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions. It took hard work and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that. Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve. I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies,” Salah wrote.He went further in the same message, adding: “That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it. Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games. Liverpool will always be a club that means a great deal to me and to my family. I want to see it succeed for long after I have moved on.”
Rooney calls for ruthless action before Brentford clash
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney did not hold back in his reaction, arguing that the timing and nature of Salah’s comments crossed a line, particularly given that the forward is set to leave at the end of the season.“I find it sad at the end of what he’s done and what he’s achieved at Liverpool,” Rooney said. “It’s not the point for him to come out and aim another dig at Slot. 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.”He went even further, suggesting the post has wider consequences inside the dressing room.“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.”Rooney’s strongest stance, however, was reserved for what he believes Slot should do next, with Liverpool set to face Brentford at Anfield on Sunday, 24 May 2026, in what is expected to be Mohamed Salah’s final match for the club.“If I was Arne Slot, I’d have him nowhere near the stadium in the last game,” he said. “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. 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.”
‘Second time,’ Rooney points to earlier fallout
Rooney’s frustration is not just about one incident. He explicitly pointed to this being the second time Salah has publicly gone against his manager.“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.”
FILE – Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot talks to Mohamed Salah during the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
The first rupture came earlier in the season, on December 7, 2025, following a chaotic 3–3 draw with Leeds United, when Salah reacted strongly to being benched for three consecutive matches.In a seven-minute interview, he described his relationship with Slot as “non-existent” and accused both the manager and the club of having “thrown him under the bus” in what he felt was an attempt to deflect from poor results, interpreting the decision to drop him as a public humiliation and a lack of respect for his legacy.
Form, frustration and a difficult final chapter
While Salah’s legacy at Liverpool remains undeniable, 257 goals and a central role in one of the club’s most successful modern eras, his current season has added context to the tension.After scoring 29 league goals in the previous campaign as Liverpool won the title, he has managed 12 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions this season, with the team now facing the prospect of finishing fifth after a dramatic collapse in their title defence.Rooney suggested that contrast has influenced Salah’s recent behaviour.“I think Salah’s trying to vindicate himself and make himself feel better because he’s had a very poor season,” he said. “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.”
Wider concerns around Liverpool’s direction
The situation has unfolded against a broader backdrop of decline under Slot, with Liverpool losing their intensity, conceding 52 league goals, their highest in a 38-game Premier League season, and suffering 12 defeats in the competition.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, centre right passes manager Arne Slot as he takes part in a training session in Liverpool, England, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Rooney also pointed to a visible drop in energy and atmosphere at Anfield, suggesting that the club’s traditional “fear factor” has faded, while hinting that some players may have “downed tools” during a difficult run.Despite the criticism, he maintained that Slot should be given time, even as he urged the manager to assert authority in this moment.
Final game now overshadowed by tension
Liverpool’s final match against Brentford was expected to centre around Salah’s farewell, with the Egyptian forward set to leave the club after years of success and consistency.Instead, the build-up has shifted, with his latest comments and Rooney’s response placing the focus on how his final appearance, or potential absence, will now be handled, and whether Slot chooses to prioritise a send-off or a statement of authority.
