Wayne Rooney Urges Arne Slot to Exclude Mohamed Salah from Final Game

Wayne Rooney has urged Arne Slot to make a brutal call on Mohamed Salah and banish the Liverpool forward from the club’s final game of the season against Brentford, accusing the Egyptian of publicly undermining his manager and protecting his own reputation.

The Manchester United legend believes Salah “dropped a grenade” with his latest social media post, in which he demanded a return to the “heavy metal” football associated with Jurgen Klopp – a message widely read as a swipe at Slot’s more controlled approach.

On The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain made no attempt to soften his view of how one of Liverpool’s greatest players is handling what appears to be his last act at Anfield.

“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.”

The criticism went deeper than tactics. Rooney argued that Salah’s words struck at the authority of Slot and the unity of a squad that will remain after the forward departs.

“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.”

This is not the first flashpoint. Salah was dropped earlier in the season after accusing Slot and Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” over his reduced game time. For a player who has scored 257 goals for the club and built a legacy as one of its modern greats, the backdrop is jarring.

Rooney, though, sees a clear motive: deflection.

“I think Salah's trying to vindicate himself and make himself feel better because he's had a very poor season,” he claimed. After winning the Premier League title and hitting 29 league goals last term, Salah has only 12 goals in 40 games across all competitions this season, with Liverpool now drifting towards a fifth-place finish. “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.”

For Rooney, the issue is no longer just about one player’s frustration. It is about the manager’s authority.

He drew a sharp line back to his own career under Sir Alex Ferguson, recalling how the legendary manager left him out of his final game at Old Trafford after a disagreement. The message that day was unmistakable: no player sits above the manager, no matter their status.

“If I was Arne Slot, I’d have him nowhere near the stadium in the last game,” Rooney insisted. “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.”

The tension sits awkwardly alongside the idea of a grand farewell. Salah, a cornerstone of Liverpool’s modern era, would in normal circumstances expect a hero’s send-off. Rooney isn’t convinced those circumstances still exist.

“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.”

The row comes at the end of a bruising campaign for Liverpool. Their title defence has crumbled, the sharp edges of Klopp’s era dulled by a drop in intensity and a tactical reset under Slot. Results have faded. So has the fear factor.

Rooney pointed to Anfield itself as evidence. The stadium that once crackled from the first whistle now feels, to him, strangely subdued.

“I think that's the biggest change for me where you go to Anfield, the first thing you want to do is quieten the crowd. But I think actually by Liverpool not pressing they're quietening the crowd down themselves and frustrating the Liverpool fans,” he said. “And so that's the big, big change for me.”

He stopped short of calling for Slot’s head, but did not hide his misgivings about what he is seeing from parts of the squad.

“I’m quite split in should he go or should he stay because he won the league last season, I think he deserves a bit more time, in terms of what we’ve seen this season. I don't feel right or good saying this, some players look like they've downed tools and that's a big problem if you see that or you feel that for the manager.”

So Slot stands at a crossroads. One game left, a fanbase on edge, a fading icon agitating in public, and a dressing room under scrutiny.

Does he draw a hard line with Salah and stamp his authority on the club’s next chapter, or bend to sentiment and risk another public challenge to his rule?