The former Manchester United striker discussed Liverpool’s drop-off this season despite being Premier League champions.

Wayne Rooney has suggested that Liverpool’s summer squad overhaul has heightened the decline of Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

The Reds won the Premier League title in comfortable fashion last season. Arne Slot’s side wrapped up the silverware with four matches to spare in his first season as head coach.

Liverpool were favourites to defend their crown at the start of the 2025-26 campaign. They spent £450 million on new players, including a £125 million British record fee on Alexander Isak while Florian Wirtz cost £100 million. The Reds did sell several players, though, including Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez while Trent Alexander-Arnold turned down a new contract to join Real Madrid.

Liverpool sit just sixth in the Premier League table and have a battle to secure Champions League qualification. Suggesting why the Reds have dropped off, former England and Manchester United captain Rooney said on The Overlap: “If you look at Liverpool last season to now, Salah and van Dijk haven't been their best. Then you've got Trent who's missing, Robertson hasn't played a lot of games, Luiz Díaz [left] and the [Diogo] Jota situation.

“Even Darwin Nunez brought something, he wasn't great, but he brought something. Liverpool have lost a lot of players so it sorts of a rebuild period [for them].

“With Liverpool and what has happened since last season, Van Dijk and Salah – which I have been vocal about this season – may have lost a yard or two, and they are the two leaders of the team. The players they have lost around them would make it very difficult for any side to win the title.

'That should not count against van Dijk and Salah. For me, Salah is one of the Premier League's greatest of all time, and Van Dijk will be in the conversation as one of the best. I don't think he is the best ever, but in this generation, he is certainly the best centre-back, so you cannot hold that against those two players.”