Isak doesn’t deserve start over Ekitike – Rooney

Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney says that former England and Manchester United star Alexander Isak’s record signings do not make enough sense to start ahead of Hugo Ekitike for Liverpool.

Isak, 25, signed for the Reds from Newcastle for £125m, but he has only scored one goal in seven league games overall appearances.

His third Premier League start in a row without a goal was suffered by Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

With three goals in the league, his fellow forward Ekitike, who started as a substitute for the Red Devils, has scored four goals for Liverpool.

On The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said, “I wouldn’t play Isak because he hasn’t looked ready since he came from Newcastle.”

He hasn’t practiced or had a pre-season, he claims. It is very significant. Newcastle probably spent six hours a day chatting with his agent while he was training, trying to find a job.

When there isn’t a pre-season, it’s really difficult. He may have done it on his own, but he is also paying the price.

He doesn’t deserve to be playing before Ekitike, according to reports.

Liverpool lost four straight games to Manchester United, which is their first loss in a row since November 2014.

Even though Liverpool won the Premier League last year with seven straight victories, they have rarely put together consistently impressive displays throughout their entire careers.

Rooney remarked, “They’ve got a little complacent.”

You forget Arne Slot because he won the Premier League, but he’s still a young man, 46 years old, and this was his first career loss in four consecutive games.

I haven’t seen that from him before when he was arguing with the officials on the touchline against Manchester United.

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s talismanic forward, is another concern, according to Rooney, who is “one of the top five greatest Premier League players ever”.

With a total of 29 goals in 38 Premier League games, the Egypt international was a key contributor to Liverpool’s triumph last year.

He has struggled to make an impact against Manchester United, a team he had scored 16 goals against in 17 previous starts, but he has appeared a shadow of his usual self this season.

Salah has put on a lot of pressure over the past few years and has done so, Rooney said.

Salah’s future at Liverpool, which he left for Roma in 2017, had sounded uncertain prior to his signing of a new two-year contract in April.

Rooney continued, “There was talk that he might leave, and he did, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did,” adding that.

Manchester United won their first game at Anfield since 2016 with this victory.

Although Ruben Amorim has struggled to adjust to his current situation at Manchester United, the win on Sunday leaves them only two points clear of fourth-placed Liverpool.

Rooney praised the situation as being “a huge win for the manager.”

Over the past two seasons, I’ve questioned players’ motivations, decision-making, and tactics. That is a huge win. It’s challenging to win at Anfield.

I’ll be the first to admit that he got it right away, both from the players and the manager.