Wayne Rooney picks Liverpool star as Premier League Player of the Season – but snubs rest of Reds in his top five
Wayne Rooney has put aside his former club rivalries by selecting a Liverpool player as his Premier League Player of the Season—but surprisingly, he didn’t include any other players from the title favourites in his top five picks. With Liverpool almost guaranteed to clinch the title—possibly as soon as tomorrow—the focus is beginning to shift toward individual accolades.
Given Liverpool’s dominant lead of 13 points heading into the final stretch, it would be no surprise to see several of Arne Slot’s players named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Rooney’s top five Premier League stars revealed
In an interview with Amazon Prime Video Sport, Rooney named his top five performers of the 2024/25 Premier League season, placing Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah at number one. The former Manchester United and Everton striker said: “My number one pick would be Mo Salah. His performances have been excellent in recent years, and once again he’s leading Liverpool to the title.”
Interestingly, Rooney did not include any of Salah’s teammates. His remaining picks were Alexander Isak, Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Bruno Fernandes, rounding out his top five.
Did Rooney overlook other Liverpool standouts?
Salah’s place at the top is hard to argue with. Despite a drop in goals since March, he’s still in pole position for the Golden Boot with 27 goals, playing a key role in Liverpool’s march to the title.
He’s also been a creative force, registering 18 assists. With just two more, he could become only the second player—after Thierry Henry in 2002/03—to record 20+ goals and 20+ assists in a single Premier League season.
However, many may question Rooney’s decision to exclude other Liverpool stars. Leaving out Virgil van Dijk, who has been rock-solid at the back, or midfield engines like Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, seems questionable—especially when players like Palmer, who hasn’t scored since January, and Fernandes, leading an underperforming Manchester United side, made the cut.
It’s possible Rooney simply didn’t want to stack his list with Liverpool names after placing Salah at the top—but that doesn’t make the omissions any less surprising.
