Wayne Rooney has questioned Mohamed Salah’s work rate during Liverpool’s poor run of form, suggesting the Egyptian forward has looked “a bit lost” as the team’s performances have dipped.
Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday marked their third straight loss in all competitions, allowing Arsenal to leapfrog the defending champions at the top of the Premier League table.
Salah, who was the league’s top scorer last season as Liverpool stormed to the title, has struggled to replicate that prolific form so far this term. He has scored just once from open play in the Premier League and twice overall, raising questions about his wider contribution to the team.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United and England captain said Salah’s off-the-ball effort has been lacking in recent games.
“We know he doesn’t always get back and defend as much, but in the Chelsea game his full-back was getting torn apart and he was watching,” said Rooney.
“He’s not getting back and helping, and players like [Virgil] Van Dijk and the leaders in the dressing room should be telling him, ‘you need to help out’.
“That was a worry and I think he has looked a bit lost over the last week.
“When it’s going well and you’re scoring goals and winning games it’s great and the team will put up with that but, over the last week, I would question his work ethic.”
Salah’s only open-play league goal came in the opening-day 4-2 win over Bournemouth, while his other strike – a late penalty at Burnley – has done little to disguise his quiet start.
At 33, the forward may be entering a new phase of his career, and Rooney believes Arne Slot might need to rethink Salah’s role in order to maximise his effectiveness.
“I think when you get a bit older as well, [Arne] Slot maybe could have looked at that and thought, ‘Chelsea are killing us down the side’,” Rooney continued.
“Move him (Salah) inside and move [Florian] Wirtz out there and still have that work ethic in there and the brilliance of Salah to try and score goals. The best managers see that and adjust.
“I’m not saying you leave him out of the team.
“We had that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo at Manchester United who similarly wouldn’t track back so Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] moves him inside, so you still have the balance of the team and the work getting done.
“He moves him inside so he is still on the pitch because he’s always got a chance of scoring goals and winning games.”
