Van Dijk delivers emotional speech to Reds youngsters before kick-off at Anfield

Virgil Van Dijk urged his young Liverpool teammates to 'stick together' and 'be brave' ahead of their FA Cup clash against Southampton on Wednesday.

Bobby Clark and James McConnell - both 19 years old - started in the 3-0 win at Anfield that earned the Reds a quarter-final tie against Manchester United along with 21-year-old Jarell Quansah and 18-year-old Lewis Koumas, who scored on his professional debut.

The quartet was joined in the starting XI by 20-year-old Conor Bradley, while 18-year-old Jayden Danns came off the bench to score twice.

And footage emerged on social media shows Van Dijk telling his younger teammates to seize their chance to impress by expressing themselves.

'Help each other, push each other. Stick together no matter what happens boys,' the Liverpool captain can be heard saying in the tunnel ahead of kick-off.

'Go for it, enjoy it, be brave, full of confidence, everything we do.'

It has been a superb season for Liverpool's youngsters, with several making their mark in Jurgen Klopp's side.

The Reds had eight academy graduates in the squad for their 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Bradley started at Wembley, while Danns, Quansah, Clark and McConnell all came off the bench.

Van Djik's words on Wednesday echoed the message Klopp delivered in his press conference ahead of the game against Southampton, in which he took the pressure off his younger stars urging them to enjoy playing football.

'First and foremost, they don’t have to show anything. I know what you mean. It’s easily misunderstood,' he said.

'The story of Sunday was one of the best football stories I ever heard of. It’s 100 per cent right.

'Chelsea was younger than us, stuff like this. That’s a different project [but] it’s not