Mohamed Salah’s “work ethic” has been questionable throughout Liverpool’s latest dip in kind, 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 on the high of the desk.
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Egypt ahead Salah was the Premier League’s high scorer as Liverpool received the title at a canter final time period.
Nevertheless, he has scored simply as soon as from open play within the high flight this time period and Rooney advised that when Salah shouldn’t be deciding matches with objectives or assists, it locations scrutiny on different elements of his recreation.
“We all know he does not all the time get again and defend as a lot, however within the Chelsea recreation his full-back was getting torn aside and he was watching,” stated the ex-England captain on the most recent episode of which now you can take heed to on BBC Sounds.
“He is not getting again and serving to, and gamers like [Virgil] Van Dijk and the leaders within the dressing room must be telling him, ‘you could assist out’.
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“That was a fear and I feel he has regarded a bit misplaced during the last week.
“When it is going effectively and also you’re scoring objectives and successful video games it is nice and the workforce will put up with that however, during the last week, I’d query his work ethic.”
Salah scored the fourth aim in Liverpool’s 4-2 opening win over Bournemouth, along with his solely different Premier League strike being a late penalty at Burnley.
And with Salah having turned 33 in June, Rooney advised that adapting his function, from primarily a right-sided attacker, might assist him return to creating the form of match-winning contributions that Liverpool followers have turn into accustomed to since he joined the membership in 2017.
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“I feel once you get a bit older as effectively, [Arne] Slot possibly may have checked out that and thought, ‘Chelsea are killing us down the aspect’,” added Rooney, who received the league title 5 instances with United.
“Transfer him (Salah) inside and transfer [Florian] Wirtz on the market and nonetheless have that work ethic in there and the brilliance of Salah to attempt to rating objectives. The very best managers see that and alter.
“I am not saying you allow him out of the workforce.
“We had that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo at Manchester United who equally would not monitor again so Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] strikes him inside, so you continue to have the stability of the workforce and the work getting performed.
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“He strikes him inside so he’s nonetheless on the pitch as a result of he is all the time obtained an opportunity of scoring objectives and successful video games.”
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Mohamed Salah has received the Premier League Golden Boot 4 instances [Getty Images]