Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has questioned Mohamed Salah’s “work ethic” following Liverpool’s defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
The 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge was the Reds’ third consecutive loss in all competitions.
Salah was the Premier League’s top scorer as Liverpool won the title last season, but has scored two goals in the top flight this campaign so far, with one from open play in a 4-2 win against Bournemouth and the other a late penalty at Burnley.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former United striker suggested that when Salah is not deciding matches with goals or assists, other aspects of his game are questioned.
“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,” he said.
“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’.
“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.”
The ex-England captain also suggested that the Egyptian adapt his role from primarily a right-sided attacker, which may help him return to making the sort of match-winning contributions that Liverpool fans have become accustomed to since his arrival at the club in 2017.
“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’,” added Rooney.
“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.”
“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.”
Liverpool will host Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, 19 October 2025.
Source: Ebo Dawson-Amoah – Adomonline.com
