Mohamed Salah’s “work ethic” has been questionable during Liverpool’s recent dip in form, says former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.
A 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday was their third consecutive loss in all competitions and, coupled with Arsenal’s victory over West Ham, it allowed the Gunners to leapfrog the defending champions at the top of the table.
Egypt forward Salah was the Premier League’s top scorer as Liverpool won the title at a canter last term.
However, he has scored just once from open play in the top flight this term, and Rooney suggested that when Salah is not deciding matches with goals or assists, it places scrutiny on other aspects of his game.
“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,” said the ex-England captain on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, which you can now listen to on BBC Sounds.
“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’.
“That was a worry, and I think he has looked a bit lost over the last week.
“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.”
Salah scored the fourth goal in Liverpool’s 4-2 opening win over Bournemouth, with his only other Premier League strike being a late penalty at Burnley.
And with Salah having turned 33 in June, Rooney suggested that adapting his role, from primarily a right-sided attacker, may help him return to making the sort of match-winning contributions that Liverpool fans have become accustomed to since he joined 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, who won the league title five times with United.
“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.
“I’m not saying you leave him out of the team.
“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.”
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