Gareth Southgate reveals 'concerns' about England players on social media

England manager Gareth Southgate has advised his players to spend less time on social media, revealing he and other high-profile managers are 'concerned' about stars spending too much time on their phones.

Social media can be toxic, and Southgate's comments come days after Arsenal legend Thierry Henry deleted all of his platforms in protest against the rampant racism that often goes without serious consequence on websites such as Twitter and Instagram.

Southgate, whose England team face Albania on Sunday, has advised his players to do similar - but says he won't be enforcing any sort of ban.

“It’s something for all players, all high-profile people, who might receive that negative attention, to think about," he said. "Do you want to put yourself in that position and situation?

“But I don’t think you can make or force people into a decision. You can discuss it, and they have the maturity to make their own decisions.

“These boys have to live their lives and go their own path, even if that would be helpful at times and you see that from far. It’s got to be their journey through life and they have the right to make those calls.

“From a performance perspective, I don’t see a huge positive in a lot of that interaction. But, equally, there are connections with fans and the public, which have been really important for the growth of our team so it’s a really difficult balance.

“I made a conscious decision to come off social media when I took the Under-21 job. I didn’t think it would be the right platform and didn’t want to read the sort of messages I knew would be landing in my box.

“Similarly, when I‘m in camp now, I try to switch off all the media, which is not great for keeping up with what’s going on in the world."

He added: “But the world is a happier place if I’m not seeing that negativity. It’s something, absolutely, for our players to consider.

“If you spoke to every manager in the country, one of their biggest concerns is that after a game in the dressing room players are scrolling through their phone.

“It’s a vulnerable time for people just after they’ve played a game, they are tired, fatigued - and what voice are they listening to?”