Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney has not held back in his assessment of Mohamed Salah following Liverpool’s late, painful defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
While much of the post-match fallout has focused on squandered chances and stoppage-time heartbreak, Rooney has singled out Salah’s defensive application as a major concern and argued that senior figures in the dressing room, like Virgil van Dijk, should be addressing the issue.
Salah’s outing at Stamford Bridge was notable for what he didn’t do. The Egyptian forward, who has been well below his usual scoring output this campaign, failing to find the net in five of his last seven league appearances, missed several opportunities.
Wayne Rooney critcises Mohamed Salah for defensive work
Those misses were costly, but Rooney’s critique went beyond finishing, focusing squarely on defensive work-rate.
According to Rooney, Salah’s positioning and tracking back were inadequate at crucial moments, leaving his full-back exposed and contributing to an eventual 96th-minute winner for Chelsea.
Speaking on the Wayne Rooney show, the former striker said:
‘With the players coming in, Isak, [Hugo] Ekitike, and Wirtz, the money they have spent on the, what does Salah think now?
‘Top players have an ego, and Mo Salah has been one of the best players in the league for a long time.
‘I think the last week has shown that when it’s gone well, you’re scoring goals and you’re winning games, it’s great and the team will put up with that, but over the last week, I’d question his work ethic.
‘I know he doesn’t always get back and defend as much, but in the Chelsea game, his full-back is getting torn apart, and he is watching.’
Rooney believes senior figures, the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, should be having frank conversations with Salah about his defensive duties.
In Rooney’s view, leadership in the dressing room isn’t just about rallies after wins, it’s also about hard truths when performances dip and collective standards slip.
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Rooney wants Liverpool players to communicate with Salah
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool looks dejected (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
He added:
‘Players like Van Dijk and Alisson, who I know wasn’t playing, but the leaders in the dressing room should be telling him you need to help it. For me, that was a worry.
‘He has looked a little bit lost the past week, in my opinion.’
Rooney’s criticism of Salah is blunt but not without merit, elite players are judged on both their attacking output and their contribution to team structure.
Liverpool must act on this to stop their run of worrying results before it’s to late.
At the moment, they are only one point behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race but to have any chance of winning the league or any trophy this season, they want their best player, that is Salah, to perform at the top of his ability.
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