Wayne Rooney Questions Mohamed Salah's Work Ethic Amid Liverpool's Struggles
Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United striker, has raised concerns about Mohamed Salah's work ethic during Liverpool's recent slump in form.
The team's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday marked their third consecutive loss across all competitions. This, combined with Arsenal's victory over West Ham, allowed the Gunners to overtake the defending champions at the top of the Premier League table.
Last season, Salah was the Premier League's top scorer, leading Liverpool to a dominant title win. However, this season he has managed only one goal from open play in the league. Rooney noted that when Salah is not contributing with goals or assists, it draws attention to other aspects of his performance.
“We know he doesn’t always track back to defend, but in the Chelsea game, his full-back was being overwhelmed while he stood by,” Rooney commented on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, available on BBC Sounds.
“He’s not helping out defensively, and players like Virgil Van Dijk and the leaders in the dressing room should be telling him, ‘You need to contribute.’ That was concerning, and I think he has appeared somewhat lost in the past week.”
Rooney continued, “When things are going well, and you’re scoring goals and winning matches, it’s easy for the team to overlook that. But over the past week, I would question his work ethic.”
Salah did score the fourth goal in Liverpool's 4-2 opening win against Bournemouth, with his only other Premier League goal being a late penalty against Burnley.
Having turned 33 in June, Rooney suggested that a shift in Salah's role from primarily playing as a right-sided attacker could help him regain his match-winning form that fans have come to expect since his arrival in 2017.
“As players get older, perhaps [Arne] Slot could have considered moving him inside, especially since Chelsea were exploiting that side,” Rooney added. “By positioning Salah centrally and moving [Florian] Wirtz out wide, you could maintain that work ethic while leveraging Salah's brilliance to score goals. The best managers can recognize and adapt to these needs.”
“I’m not suggesting he should be left out of the team. We experienced something similar with [Cristiano] Ronaldo at Manchester United, who also didn’t track back. Sir Alex Ferguson moved him inside to maintain team balance while ensuring he remained on the pitch, as he always had the potential to score and win matches.”
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