Arne Slot hits back at Wayne Rooney dig and makes clear Jurgen Klopp point

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has dismissed Wayne Rooney's claims he does not have the "aura" to manage at the top level, pointing to his Premier League title win last season

Arne Slot has brushed off suggestions from Wayne Rooney that he lacks the "aura" required to manage Liverpool, highlighting that such criticisms weren't being voiced when he lifted the Premier League trophy last term.

Slot has faced mounting scrutiny throughout the campaign following a challenging title defence for the Reds, who currently sit outside the top four and the automatic Champions League qualification spots.

The situation led former England striker Rooney to draw unfavourable comparisons this week between the Liverpool manager and his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, claiming Slot doesn't possess the necessary presence for the role.

"I just don't think, for Liverpool, he [Slot] has that aura," Rooney said on The Overlap Fan Debate earlier this week. "Maybe that's because Liverpool have just come off the back of Jurgen [Klopp] as manager. It's difficult for anyone to do that, but I just don't think there is that aura about him."

However, when pressed on the remarks, Slot responded: "Comparing people with each other is something everyone has the right to do, but is that fair to compare people with each other? We are all different.

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"The only thing we have in common, Jurgen and me, is that we both won the league - and that's not too bad, is it?

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"I think the more a manager wins, the more aura he has. That's in general something.

"I don't know if you agree with Wayne Rooney by the way, but if this would be the general opinion, then I think people would probably tell you last season I had more aura than this season. But maybe he's the only one who has this opinion, I don't know, you tell me. It's the first time that I heard this.

"But I think it's fair to say that Jurgen definitely has aura, yeah. I can talk about him, not about myself, but he definitely had that. But a winning manager has an aura as well."

Slot, whose Liverpool side face Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon, believes the relentless scrutiny from an ever-growing number of media platforms means those in his role are far less likely to enjoy extended spells comparable to Klopp and current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

"I got this question a few months ago and I was a bit surprised but when I later thought about it, I think it's harder now because there's so much being said about football, so much more than 10 years ago," Slot said.

"The moment you start to lose one or two games now, then there's much more being spoken about it and much more emphasis on it. So that makes it more difficult. I think the job has become harder because of all the media attention.

"Jurgen did so well, Pep did so well, but the biggest accomplishment is maybe to do this job for 10 years, because it's hard work, I can tell you. Many people work hard, but it's also mentally hard.

"Is the power more with the players now than it's ever been before? I would argue that is true. I don't think that has changed in football.

"The question is always do owners or the people who decide listen to players if, if, if they are not positive about you. And that's different in every club."

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