Arne Slot disagreement emerges after Wayne Rooney 'aura' claim and Liverpool advice

Wayne Rooney has suggested Arne Slot doesn't have the 'aura' needed to lead Liverpool, but one former Red disagrees and has come to the defense of the club's head coach

Arne Slot has come under pressure for his job from some pundits this season(Image: Getty Images)

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has told his old club to stick with Arne Slot, despite the pressure he has come under for his job this season.

With the Reds facing a fight with Manchester United and Chelsea just to qualify for next season’s Champions League after winning the Premier League title last year, Slot’s future has been the subject of speculation for some time now.

The Dutchman is not thought to be under pressure internally at Anfield, with the club even showing a united front with the head coach appearing alongside sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO Billy Hogan recently.

That hasn’t stopped some pundits from claiming that Slot might be in trouble though. Paul Scholes has suggested that Liverpool would need to win the Champions League in order to save his job, while Wayne Rooney has this week said that he doesn’t have the “aura” to be the Reds’ boss.

Heskey though insists the blame for Liverpool’s struggles can’t be laid entirely at Slot’s door, and has urged his former club to keep faith with him.

“I think they should stick with Slot,” Heskey told aceodds.com. “You’ve got to remember we were all saying how good the in-game changes were and we lauded him for it.

Emile Heskey has urged Liverpool to stick with Arne Slot(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)

“Making changes at half-time, pulling players off, taking risks, making tough decisions and them coming off. We can’t all of a sudden jump on someone’s back when they have a dip. There’s got to be consistency and stick with him.

“But he needs to know he’s under pressure and he’s at a club where it’s not if we win, it’s we’ve got to win trophies. When I was at the club it was you couldn't lose two games on the spin, having come from Leicester where you lose five.

“In that environment you can’t lose two on the bounce and they’re telling you that. That is pressure and you’ve got to be able to deal with that pressure.

“There have been seasons in the past where competing for the Premier League title was normal and if it wasn’t for a fantastic Manchester City team they would have won more. They know how to do it, so now’s the time to stand up and be counted.

“Slot knows he has to win trophies and regardless of whether you’re at Liverpool, Leeds or West Ham, you’re ten games away from being sacked. It’s sad to say but it’s common knowledge that teams are trigger happy.”

Heskey also suggested that Liverpool’s senior players need to step up, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk having also faced some criticism this season.

“The leaders, I think, need to do more,” Heskey added. “We can’t just blame the new players. The leaders are there to lead, make decisions and pull people out of situations they may be struggling with and I don’t see it as much now.

“We lauded Liverpool for many a year for being defensively solid but right now they look defensively fragile. They now need to pick themselves back up.”