Virgil van Dijk opinion is clear on Mohamed Salah's advice to young Liverpool players

The experienced Liverpool duo know all about the pitfalls that accompany being a Premier League star and have warned the younger members of the squad to avoid certain practises

Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have warned Liverpool's younger players to avoid social media(Image: Getty Images)

Virgil van Dijk has expressed his concerns for the next generation of Premier League players, warning that, given the heightened levels of scrutiny and intense media coverage, younger members should avoid social media altogether.

At 34 and with over a decade of experience playing in the Premier League, Van Dijk is not concerned by criticism. He had a back-and-forth media battle with Wayne Rooney earlier this year, which included an on-screen disagreement with the ex-Manchester United star.

Van Dijk also stops to speak to the press after almost every match and is used to shouldering the burden and pressure that accompanies defeats. However, he is concerned by the volatility that has become commonplace in the media, which he believes is primarily driven by the desire for engagement and reactions.

“I won’t say it’s easy because there is just so much noise. For the next generation it will be very difficult. It is getting ridiculous at times,” the Liverpool captain wrote in a first-person review of 2025, which was published in the Times on Boxing Day.

“There are more and more and more platforms and Mo [Salah] and myself always keep saying that to the younger players: stay off social media.

“Often you hear: ‘You have to just deal with it’. No, it doesn’t work like that, because you shouldn’t be able to deal with all of that constantly.

Van Dijk is a leader in the Liverpool dressing(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“Let’s just play football. That’s what they did 10, 20 years ago, and everyone got a legendary status.

“Those platforms are all about clicks, clicks, clicks, and who wants to be the first. For the next generation — Rio [Ngumoha] and young boys like that, academy boys — OK, brace yourself!

“For example, I spoke to Amara Nallo [after he was sent off against Crystal Palace] and said: ‘Don’t go on social media, be with your family’.

“We had a long conversation. I spoke to him when he was sent off against PSV Eindhoven [last January] as well.

Nallo has been sent off in both of his senior Liverpool appearances(Image: Getty Images)

“If he would then go on social media, you never know what might happen. It’s a very dangerous place.

“I’m not saying social media is all bad, it can be used for a lot of positive things,” Van Dijk added.

“But in this profession, when you are 20 years old, you live on your own and maybe you had a bad game. You go home after training, it’s 5pm. What are you going to do for the rest of your night? You’re probably going to be scrolling on your phone. And then what? You find something?”