The ECHO's Liverpool FC correspondent assesses Wayne Rooney's 'aura' criticism of Arne Slot and asks what it exactly means for the Reds boss
Former Everton and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney on The Overlap Fan Debate, February 2026
View Image
Throughout what has been a troublesome sophomore year at Anfield, an embattled Arne Slot has come under fire for just about everything.
Slot has faced plenty of criticism this time out, ranging from his team's inability to defend set-pieces and their horrendous habit of conceding late goals to what, at times, has been viewed as a dull and uninspiring brand of football.
The defence of their Premier League crown was realistically over long before the Christmas decorations were fetched from the attics of homes across Merseyside and there has been a tough adaptation period for many of his new and expensive recruits.
Author avatar
Author avatar
Slot has taken ample flack for all of the above and much of it fair and even-handed.
For those who have already decided he is no longer the man to lead Liverpool for the long term, however, it has become open season, particularly online, where rational, balanced and nuanced debate has rarely been in demand.
Wayne Rooney was the latest to offer his verdict this week, with the former England star questioning the apparent absence of 'aura' from the Reds' head coach.
Rooney's time away from struggling in the dugouts of management has seen him become a prominent voice with various broadcasters in recent months and he was speaking of Slot on The Overlap Fan Debate when he weighed in on what has been missing at Anfield.
"It’s strange isn’t it when you’re talking about Slot being on an audition to keep his job when he has obviously recently won the Premier League," Rooney began.
“I have met him a couple of times, but I just don’t think, for Liverpool, he has that aura - and 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.”
It's nearly two years now since Jurgen Klopp walked away from Anfield and while the charismatic German was worshipped by the club's worldwide fanbase, it took just 11 months for the Reds to win the Premier League title once he left, which of course came under Slot.
Contrast that with matters at Old Trafford, where United are still attempting to navigate their way through the wilderness of the post-Alex Ferguson era, some 13 years on from the great Scot's departure.
Whatever you think of Slot's 'aura' reserves, he has proven he has the presence and the stature to lead Liverpool out of the long Klopp-shaped shadow, even if it is an easy reference point for those disconnected from the club to hark back to whenever there is a stumble here and there.
As Manchester United and, for a time, England's all-time top scorer, Rooney's words will always, understandably, carry weight.
But at a time when the former Everton forward is appearing regularly on Sky Sports and TNT alongside his own weekly BBC podcast, is one of the best footballers ever produced by this region now spreading himself too thin?
Exactly what Rooney meant by 'a lack of aura' is perhaps known only to the man himself and the teenagers behind the hoards of faceless X accounts. But in full fairness to Slot, he offered a riposte of sorts when it was put to him directly on Thursday this week.
"I think the more a manager wins, the more aura he has," said Slot. "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 that last season I had more aura than this season."
There are many things that Slot can be rightly questioned on this term but an absence of aura will be the least of Liverpool's worries right now as they scratch and claw their way towards Champions League qualification.
Perhaps Rooney speaks from experience? After all, his down-to-earth and often bashful nature in the pundit's chair radiates the sort of energy one might expect of a city-centre cab driver rather than one of the greatest players of the 21st century.
That's the thing with aura: you either have it or you don't. Apparently.
*FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page*