Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville have offered contrasting opinions on whether Mohamed Salah should play his farewell match for Liverpool after the Egyptian star publicly criticized manager Arne Slot. Salah, who is leaving the club this summer after nine trophy-laden years, posted a scathing message on social media following Liverpool's defeat at Aston Villa, calling for a return to Jurgen Klopp's 'heavy metal football.'
Rooney: Keep Salah Away
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney believes Slot should exclude Salah from the squad for the final game against Brentford at Anfield. 'I find it sad at the end of what he’s done and what he’s achieved at Liverpool. It’s not the point for him to come out and aim another dig at Slot,' Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. 'He wants to play heavy metal football, so he’s basically saying he wants Jurgen Klopp football. Now I don’t think Mo Salah can cope with that type of football any more. I think his legs have gone to play at that high tempo and high intensity.'
Rooney drew a parallel to his own experience with Sir Alex Ferguson, who left him out of his final match at Old Trafford after a disagreement. 'If I was Arne Slot, I’d have him nowhere near the stadium in the last game. I had it with Alex Ferguson. I had a disagreement and fallout and at Alex Ferguson’s last game at Old Trafford, he left me out of the squad for that reason,' Rooney added. 'He’s almost just dropped the grenade and said he doesn’t trust and believe in Arne Slot and almost thrown his team-mates who are going to be there next season and let them have to deal with that as well.'
Neville: Play Him for the Fans
Gary Neville, however, argues that Liverpool have no choice but to play Salah and give him a proper farewell. 'It’s a direct attack. Mo Salah is walking out the door and as he’s about to open it, he’s pulled the pin out the grenade and lobbed it back into the room,' Neville said on The Gary Neville Podcast. 'You have a player of that ilk, that stature, of that personality, you can never keep them quiet. They have power, they have control themselves. They have a fearlessness that means they don’t care what they say.'
Neville emphasized Salah's legendary status at the club, saying, 'He’s a player that’s loved by the fans, they’re not going to change their opinion on him, he’s achieved too much. He will play in the final game because he’s done too much. The idea of Liverpool looking petty and not playing him next week and forbidding him his final farewell would cause the club serious damage.' He added, 'They’re going to have to suck on the lemon this week, the Liverpool executives and manager, bite their bottom lip and put him in the team next week, clap him and thank him and get to the end of the season. But it’s a painful one, a comment like that.'
Salah's Bombshell
Salah's post came after Liverpool's defeat at Aston Villa, which left them fifth in the Premier League heading into the final weekend. The 33-year-old wrote: 'I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions. It took hard work and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that. Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve. I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies. That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good.'
Salah's comments have created an awkward end to his relationship with Slot, as the forward prepares to leave after scoring 257 goals in 441 appearances and winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup, and two League Cups. The final decision on his involvement against Brentford rests with Slot, but the debate between Rooney and Neville highlights the complexity of the situation.
