Mohamed Salah’s reputation at Liverpool is taking a major hit after his explosive comments aimed at manager Arne Slot, with Wayne Rooney claiming the forward is “damaging his legacy” at Anfield. The Egyptian star stunned fans on Saturday when he said he felt “thrown under the bus” by the club and revealed he no longer shared any relationship with Slot. His frustration stemmed from being benched for a third straight match in Liverpool’s 3–3 draw against Leeds, and not being used at all during the game. Salah is expected to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations after Liverpool’s home fixture against Brighton next weekend, and he hinted that it could be his final outing for the club if he is selected for the tournament. Despite the turmoil, Salah did train with the squad on Monday as Liverpool prepared for their Champions League clash away to Inter Milan. Rooney, speaking on his BBC podcast, insisted Slot now needs to assert his authority and punish Salah for his remarks. According to Rooney, Slot should tell Salah he won’t travel to Italy. “What he said is not acceptable. Go to AFCON and let things settle down. If it were up to me, he wouldn’t be anywhere near the team.” Rooney warned that Salah’s actions are undoing years of goodwill. “He is destroying his legacy at Liverpool. It would be sad to see him waste everything he built. He has handled this the wrong way.” At 33, Salah remains Liverpool’s third-highest scorer with 250 goals in 420 games, but his form has dipped during the club’s difficult campaign. He has scored only four times in 13 Premier League matches, as Liverpool language in ninth place. Speaking after the Leeds match, Salah expressed his disappointment. “I always said I had a good relationship with the manager, and suddenly we have no relationship. It feels like the club has put everything on me. It is obvious someone wanted me to take all the blame.”
