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Wayne Rooney has claimed Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool as early as January because of his poor form at the beginning of the new campaign.
Salah has scored three goals this season but two have come from the penalty spot. He missed a big chance in Sunday's defeat to Manchester United and his place in the team for games with Eintracht Frankfurt and Brentford this week is not guaranteed.
"I just think Salah has played a lot of games over the last few years, and he's been the main man, and he's carried that pressure," Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
"And you're probably in the top five great seven Premier League players, in my opinion. But I think it looked like it may be caught up a little bit with him.
"It wouldn't surprise me if in January, or maybe next summer, if he does leave the club. But I've loved watching him, he’s such a fantastic player. But I think it's probably just caught up, because it does. Sometimes you don't want to admit it but the next thing you know, you're gone."
Traditionally, Salah has tended to start seasons well for Liverpool, with his bad runs coming at the end of campaigns rather than the beginning. This year, though, he and the rest of the Reds attack hasn't clicked.
"I think they've got a bit complacent," Rooney said. "There's a lot on Salah and Van Dijk and Trent, I think, which took up a lot of energy from a lot of people at Liverpool, and I think they're missing Trent enormously.
"And I think the new players coming into Liverpool, in my opinion, is not as big as Manchester United, but it's a massive club around the world and the players they brought in, they're struggling."
Jamie Carragher believes that Liverpool might need to take Salah out of the team for some games.
"I think we're at that stage now where Mo Salah shouldn't be a guaranteed starter every week," Carragher said on The Gary Neville Podcast. "I do think this is a real conundrum for the manager going forward.
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"I don't think Salah should be like a Virgil van Dijk where it's like 'first name on the team sheet'. Liverpool have got two away games — in the Champions League at Frankfurt and then they go to Brentford. I don't think Salah should start both of those games.
"He should always start at Anfield because Liverpool will be on top, around the edge of the box and more often than not he scores in those situations today.
"But I do think in the away games and helping your full-back, I don't think Salah should be starting every game right now, certainly away from home, with the form he's in."
Liverpool.com says: Salah is getting chances but he isn't scoring them. While his age means saying he has fallen off is the easy thing to point to, it isn't his physicality, speed or general play that is the problem — right now, it looks more like a crisis of confidence.
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