Wayne Rooney has explained why he thinks Liverpool star Mohamed Salah “won’t be happy” with record signing Alexander Isak.
Salah was Liverpool‘s star man last term as they won their 20th Premier League title and this has been the case in most of his seasons at the club.
However, it has been suggested that Salah’s role at Liverpool could be reduced following their immense summer transfer window.
After only making one signing last season, Liverpool invested around £414.5m in this summer’s window, with Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong among their most notable signings.
Now, Liverpool are well-stocked with multiple top-quality options in most positions, with this particularly the case in attack with new arrivals Isak and Ekitike.
On Saturday afternoon, head coach Arne Slot gave Ekitike the nod to start, while Isak started on the bench as he gradually builds his fitness.
Ekitike continued his great start to the season by scoring against Everton, with Ryan Gravenberch also scoring in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over their arch-rivals after being assisted by Salah.
Isak made a cameo off the bench in the closing stages of the match as Liverpool saw out the game to claim another three points, but Rooney claims Salah “won’t be happy” with his new teammate.
“Even though Salah has been the best player at Liverpool for years, he won’t be happy that Isak has come in and is getting the attention. It’s a matter of personal pride, he will want to be the best,” Rooney said on BBC 5 Live.
“When we signed Tevez, there were lots of reports saying they were concerned that we couldn’t play together.
“But as soon as we signed players, I used to think, ‘There’s no way he is coming in to take my place’. So that naturally gives you a lift.”
Before his side’s 2-1 win over Everton, Slot explained why he opted to bench Isak against the Toffees.
“Normally when you don’t play a player I don’t think there is any player that says, ‘Ok I understand your decision’, ok maybe they understand it but they may have made a different one themselves,” Slot explained.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you ask him today that he would say it’s the best choice for him not to start, but of course it is about match fitness. It was good to see him play for an hour in midweek, let’s see how many minutes he can make today.”