For any footballer, the moment when you realize you're no longer at your peak is the toughest pill to swallow. Wayne Rooney, the former England and Manchester United legend, knows this all too well.

After 13 glittering years at Old Trafford—where he scored 253 goals in 559 appearances and won five Premier League titles, a Champions League, the Europa League, and the FA Cup—Rooney made the gut-wrenching decision to leave at age 31 in 2017, returning to boyhood club Everton.

"The hardest thing for a player is to understand you may be not at the level you were," Rooney shared on The Wayne Rooney Show. "I did it at Manchester United when Zlatan Ibrahimovic came in and I wasn't playing. I wanted to play so I left straight away. I accepted it."

Now, Rooney sees a similar story unfolding at Liverpool with Mohamed Salah. After nine iconic seasons at Anfield—where the Egyptian King helped secure two Premier League titles, a Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup, and multiple domestic cups—Salah is set to leave at the end of this season.

The 33-year-old forward hasn't been as dominant this term. He's on track for his first campaign at Liverpool without reaching double figures in league goals (currently seven goals and six assists), and he'll play under 30 Premier League games for the first time since arriving in 2017.

"I said this since the start of the season, age gets to us all and your legs go," Rooney added. "I think that's happened to Salah this season. And Virgil van Dijk hasn't been the same this season either."

Rooney noted that when the team's leaders start to fade, it creates a void. "They are the leaders in the dressing room. It's hard for the other players to go and leave their mark or become the leaders."

While Rooney doesn't think Van Dijk will leave, he warned: "You've seen players when they've stayed there for too long." Both Salah and Van Dijk enjoyed their best years under Jurgen Klopp, who ended Liverpool's 30-year league title drought in 2020.

For any athlete, knowing when to step aside is the hardest play to make. But as Rooney's own career shows, sometimes the greatest strength is recognizing when it's time for a new chapter.