Wayne Rooney has issued a damning verdict of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool have struggled in their Premier League title defence this term, sitting fourth in the table and 15 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Arne Slot’s future has been questioned in recent weeks, although the Dutchman dropped a hint on whether he would remain in post beyond the end of the campaign.
Salah has endured a difficult season too, having announced that he will leave Merseyside at the end of the season after nine years at the club.
The Egyptian had been dropped from the side at the end of 2025 by Slot, and he called out the club and manager in a bombshell interview after the draw against Leeds, claiming that he had been “thrown under the bus” and that he had “no relationship” with his boss.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, has had to be a near ever-present for the Reds due to their lack of depth and the injuries suffered by Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni.
However, Rooney believes that the two stars are beyond their best.
"I said this since the start of the season, age gets to us all and your legs go," Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney show.
"I think that's happened to Salah this season and Van Dijk hasn't been the same this season. They are the leaders in the dressing room. It's hard for the other players to go and leave their mark or become the leaders.
"I don't think he [Van Dijk] will [leave] but you've seen players when they've stayed there for too long."
Rooney compared Salah’s imminent exit to his departure from Manchester United for Everton when he was aged 31.
"The hardest thing for a player is to understand you may be not at the level you were," Rooney said.
"I did it at when Zlatan Ibrahimovic came in and I wasn't playing. I wanted to play so I left straight away. I accepted it."
Van Dijk has a year left on his deal at Anfield having agreed fresh terms last season. Salah’s contract at Liverpool expires at the end of the current campaign, although his next destination remains unclear.
