Wayne Rooney says Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s body language is a ‘big concern’ for Liverpool amid their four-game losing streak.
Arne Slot’s side have slipped to seventh in the Premier League table following their 3-2 loss at Brentford on Saturday, trailing leaders Arsenal by seven points after nine games.
Rooney believes Van Dijk and Salah’s concerning displays have played a role in Liverpool’s recent poor run. The BBC pundit says the Reds duo have struggled to lead the team this season and pointed to their worrying body language, ‘that affects everyone else’.
Both Salah and Van Dijk signed new deals with the Anfield side during their title-winning campaign last term, with both contracts running until the summer of 2027.
Rooney Concerned Over Salah and Van Dijk
Rooney, speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, expressed concern over Salah and Van Dijk’s body language at the start of the season:
“I think Van Dijk and Salah, obviously, they’ve signed new deals and whatever, but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.
“I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them, and they’re the top two players in that team, and if their body language is not right that affects everyone else.
“And I don’t know, maybe I might be wrong on this, but if I was a Liverpool fan or the manager, that’d be a big concern for me.”
Salah netted Liverpool’s second on Saturday following a four-game goalless run in the Premier League, scoring his fourth goal of the season.
The Egyptian forward was benched for Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League last week and raised eyebrows with his social media activity after the game.
He appeared to have removed all Liverpool-related text from both his X and Instagram bios following criticism for his cameo in Frankfurt.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, has struggled to spearhead Liverpool’s defence this season, with the Reds keeping just two clean sheets in 14 games.
Liverpool next host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday, before facing in-form Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday.
Unai Emery’s side have won four games in a row in the Premier League, including a 1-0 victory over Manchester City at the weekend.