Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk slams 'clickbait' pundits as player mental health concerns raised | OneFootball

Defender publicly clashed with Wayne Rooney earlier this season

Virgil van Dijk has criticised pundits and ex-professional players for crossing the line in their criticism of players, saying he worries about how young players will cope.

Van Dijk clapped back at Rooney live on air following Liverpool’s Champions League defeat of Real Madrid and, in a new interview with Sky Sports, has doubled down, saying he worries for younger players unused to the criticism.

"For me personally, I can deal with it, but I'm a bit worried for the next generation,” he said. “I feel like the ex-top players have a responsibility to the new generation.

Virgil van Dijk is sticking up for his team-mates amid growing scrutiny from pundits

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"Criticism is absolutely normal and part of the game, and I think it should stay that way. But sometimes criticism also goes into being clickbait, saying things to provoke things, and without thinking about the repercussions for a mental side of players, and especially the younger generation, who are constantly on social media.”

He continued, explaining that social media has only exacerbated how players are affected by external criticism.

"You can say, 'yeah, you shouldn't be on social media' - that's what I've mentioned [to them] loads of times.

"There is always this thing of when you play a good game, younger players check all the positive praises, but when you have a worse game, and you're getting bullied all over social media or you're getting bad criticism, it can really affect you.

“I've seen that in certain players in the past, and currently as well, because it's just not easy.

"It's going to get worse and worse because the platforms nowadays, with the clickbait and the headlines, everyone is on it constantly.

"I feel like especially the ex-pros, top players who have been through everything as well, they have this responsibility of protecting a little bit of that side as well. That's something maybe to look at."