The Liverpool defender loves getting the chance to see the Reds' academy players in action and wants to take up a mentoring role once he hangs up his boots.

Van Dijk told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast: "I really feel like I definitely will give something back to football.

"I love working and seeing young players out there. I don't know which kind of role, and it's too far away to think about it."

The Dutch defender continued: "I watch the Under 11s, 12s, 13s and the other day I watched an U16 tournament.

"When I was younger and I was eight or nine we had a training session and two or three first-team players from my team back then came to train with us.

"I will never forget that and I know what kind of impact it makes for the younger boys and the younger generation."

However, Van Dijk revealed that he is unlikely to become a TV pundit as he doesn't have the personality to issue withering verdicts on other players.

The Liverpool captain said: "I would just be a bit like Ian Wright.

"A bit more respectful, a bit more just showing more love, but I know as a pundit sometimes you have to be a bit more controversial.

"You have to be hard on certain things, otherwise it gets boring and stuff, but it's part of the business, and we all know that."

Van Dijk also had high praise for Arsenal centre-back William Saliba and thinks that the French international is better than he was at the same age.

He said: "I think, if I'm honest, when I was that age, I was nowhere near where he is today.

"Obviously, that's the beauty of football as well. I like to watch other defenders and pick up so much stuff from them. There are so many good ballplayers and centre-halves."