The Reds' season has fallen away in the last three weeks.
After Liverpool's defeat at Everton last night, Rooney said on Sky Sports: "The players took the cue and saw this as a way to probably leave. Maybe they are already talking to other clubs, we know that these things happen.
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"Maybe he (Klopp) had been discovered. In my opinion he should have only talked about it with the club, but if someone had discovered it, it would have come out and therefore he had to announce it.
"I'm not saying that Klopp is to blame. I'm just reflecting on the timing of the announcement. I think this had a strong impact on some players in the squad."