“Wayne Rooney Crowns Liverpool Icon as Premier League Player of the Season, Overlooks Fellow Reds in Top 5”

“Wayne Rooney Declares Liverpool Legend as Premier League Player of the Season, Snubs Other Reds in Top 5”

Wayne Rooney set aside his career loyalties to name a Liverpool star as his Premier League Player of the Season, though he excluded any other players from the soon-to-be champions in his top five.

With the title almost certain to land at Anfield — potentially confirmed as early as tomorrow night — attention has already shifted to individual awards. When the PFA Team of the Year is announced, it’s likely that Arne Slot’s side, currently 13 points clear at the top with just a month left in the season, will have strong representation.

In a feature for Amazon Prime Video Sport, Rooney revealed his top five players of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Leading the list was Liverpool icon Mo Salah.

“Without hesitation, my top choice is Mo Salah,” declared the former Everton and Manchester United star. “His performances over the last few years have been outstanding, and this season he’s once again leading Liverpool to the title.”

Despite praising Salah, Rooney, now 39, overlooked the rest of Liverpool’s squad. Rounding out his top five were Alexander Isak, Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Bruno Fernandes, listed in descending order.

How could Rooney overlook Van Dijk and other Liverpool stars?

There’s no arguing with Rooney’s choice for Player of the Season—Mo Salah has been exceptional. Despite scoring only twice in the Premier League since early March, his 27 goals (and counting) have been pivotal in Liverpool’s title charge. Beyond his goal-scoring prowess, Salah has also delivered 18 top-flight assists, putting him just two shy of joining Thierry Henry as the only players to reach 20 goals and 20 assists in a single Premier League campaign.

However, Rooney’s decision to prioritize Cole Palmer and Bruno Fernandes over the commanding Virgil van Dijk—or even the brilliant midfield duo of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister—raises eyebrows.

Palmer started the season strongly but hasn’t scored in any competition since mid-January. Meanwhile, Fernandes, though impressive recently, captains a Manchester United side that could finish at the lowest position for a non-relegated team.

To exclude Liverpool’s consistently outstanding captain and other key contributors while elevating these choices seems baffling—unless, of course, Rooney felt compelled to limit himself to one Liverpool player after naming Salah as his top pick.