Rooney urges Slott to drop Salah from the starting lineup

Former Manchester City star Wayne Rooney has urged Liverpool manager Arne Slott to seriously consider dropping Liverpool star Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup, given the team's clear decline in results this season.

Rooney said, "If I were Slott, I would make a big decision, which might include benching Salah to create a reaction within the team. When the players see that their star player isn't fulfilling his duties completely, it sends a negative message to the rest of the group."

Rooney pointed out that Chelsea themselves revealed their intention to target Salah's flank during their recent match against Liverpool, a fact confirmed by left-back Marc Cucurella, who stated that his team's instructions were to exploit the space behind the Egyptian player.

Rooney's comments came after Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield, their eighth loss in their last 11 matches, and their third three-goal defeat in just five games, despite investing over £446 million in the last transfer window.

Salah has scored just five goals in 17 appearances, compared to 57 goal contributions last season. Rooney asserted that opposing teams are exploiting the space behind Salah, citing what he called a "defensive weakness" on the right flank.