Wayne Rooney issues Alexander Isak demand from Arne Slot which could save his job

View 2 Images

Wayne Rooney has urged Arne Slot to take personal responsibility for deciding how many minutes Alexander Isak plays, rather than leaving it to sports scientists. The England legend also hinted that Slot's long-term future at Liverpool could depend on such calls.

The Swedish striker made his first start for the Reds since fracturing his leg against Tottenham Hotspur in December when they faced Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on Tuesday evening. However, he lasted just 45 minutes plus stoppage time before being replaced by Mohamed Salah at the beginning of the second-half.

Whether the restricted playing time was down to advice from the club's sports science team or Slot's own judgement remains unclear. But Rooney made it abundantly clear that the head coach should be the one making such calls.

Speaking on Amazon Prime Video's post-match coverage, club legend Robbie Fowler posed the question. He said: "Isak played 45 minutes, is that a manager's decision or a sports science decision?"

Picking his words carefully, Rooney replied: "Maybe both. I think sports science have a big say now, but Arne Slot's future at the club could be on [the line]."

"I think as a manager you need to take control - I'm not saying that was the case - but, 'Listen, you play as long as you can and if you can't do it, you can't - I'll take you off.'"

Alan Shearer was quick to voice his disapproval of Isak's display as he was replaced by Salah at half-time. He explained: "He wasn't hardly involved at all was he, Isak? Only five touches in that half, didn't really do enough, didn't look fit."

View 2 Images

"And I think Arne Slot said before the game didn't he? That he didn't see him doing too many more minutes than 45 and that's exactly what happened."

Despite a valiant effort, Liverpool were ultimately knocked out of the Champions League following Tuesday evening's clash - Ousmane Dembele proving the decisive figure with a late double.

Those strikes compounded the 2-0 deficit Liverpool already faced, courtesy of goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in last week's opening leg at the Parc des Princes. While PSG now turn their sights towards a semi-final against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich , Liverpool can channel their complete focus towards their final six Premier League fixtures.

The Reds' next challenge is a historic first Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, 19 April, before they host Crystal Palace at Anfield the following Saturday.

Tough encounters against Manchester United , Chelsea , Aston Villa and Brentford round off their schedule in May, as Liverpool bid to secure European football for the 2026/27 campaign.

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.