Wayne Rooney has accused Mohamed Salah of disrespecting Liverpool and tarnishing his legacy after his rant which threw his future into question.
Salah insisted he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool, and claimed he had no relationship with manager Arne Slot, after he was unused substitute in a 3-3 draw at Leeds United.
Salah has been benched for three matches in a row amid Liverpool’s dreadful run of form.
But Rooney told the BBC: “Why would you come out and say that? “Salah has been incredible for Liverpool. As a player he is quiet, he keeps himself to himself.
“Last year he was vocal about not being offered a new contract. He deserves to get the money he gets. But then you can’t flip it and say what he said.
“It was disrespectful to his teammates, to his manager, to the fans.
“Time catches up with all of us. This season he hasn’t been at his best, he hasn’t been at his sharpest. Clearly, Slot has seen that and put him on the bench.
“He’s one of the main players, if not the main player at Liverpool over the past few seasons. You want to see him roll his sleeves up.
“To have the arrogance to say that he doesn’t have to earn his place? You need to be at your best every week to stay in the team.
“If I was one of his teammate I wouldn’t be happy at all with what he said. This is when they need him most. If anything, he has thrown Liverpool under the bus with his words.”
Rooney advised Salah: “He’s either got to speak to the manager, and put something out, and try to put it right. Or leave the football club.
“It needs to be sorted out quickly.”
