Wayne Rooney has challenged Liverpool’s senior figures, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, to step up and help manager Arne Slot navigate the club’s growing crisis.
After storming to the Premier League title last season in Slot’s debut campaign, the Reds have endured a shocking slump this term, losing four consecutive league games and slipping seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
What began as a season of optimism following a strong summer transfer window has quickly unraveled into one filled with tension and scrutiny.
Rooney fingers Salah, Van Dijk in Liverpool’s slump
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United and England captain didn’t mince words as he questioned the leadership within Liverpool’s dressing room.
“This is a time where the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly,” Rooney said, as cited by Sun Sport.
“Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.
“I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them.
“They are the top two players in that team and if their body language is not right, that affects everyone else.
“I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that would be a big concern for me.”
Liverpool fans celebrated in April when the club successfully tied down both Van Dijk and Salah to new long-term contracts. But as Rooney pointed out, renewed deals mean little without consistent performances.
Both players, now in their mid-thirties, have shown signs of slowing down. Salah, usually a model of consistency, has managed just four goals in 13 appearances across all competitions, a modest tally by his high standards.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk has struggled to marshal a defence that ranks only 15th-best in the league, a far cry from Liverpool’s typically formidable back line.
Slot facing his first real test as Liverpool boss
After a dream debut season in English football, Arne Slot now faces the first true test of his managerial reign at Anfield.
The Dutchman’s calm and meticulous approach is under the microscope, and Rooney’s comments reflect a sentiment shared by many — that Liverpool’s leaders must shoulder more responsibility to steady the ship.
Slot will be hoping for a swift response when his side faces Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, before entering a daunting stretch of fixtures against Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.
For Liverpool, and for Slot, this could be a defining period — one where the true value of leadership is tested, and where the likes of Salah and Van Dijk must prove that experience still counts when it matters most.