Darts star and Manchester United supporter Joe Cullen has taken a cheeky dig at fellow Red Devils fan Luke Littler for his recent trips to Old Trafford, with ‘The Rockstar’ insisting that his teenage rival is ‘not as big a fan’ as he is.
Littler was welcomed to United’s stadium following his magical run to the World Darts Championship final in January. The trip involved meeting legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and being presented with a personalised shirt, as he watched his side draw 2-2 with Tottenham.
‘The Nuke’ has shot to national fame since his heroic exploits at the Alexandra Palace, where he lost to Luke Humphries in the final aged just 16. Now 17, Littler continues to mix it with the big guns in Premier League Darts and at various tournaments.
Cullen, who is not ranked highly enough in the PDC Order of Merit to earn a Premier League place, has spoken out on the hero’s welcome Littler got at Old Trafford.
“He’s not as big a fan as me, but he gets to go to the games,” joked the 34-year-old in an interview with Double Top. “I’m not at all jealous, I’ve got a son who’s almost the same age as Luke, it’s strange. Luke’s a great lad and it’s even better that he’s a red.”
Cullen continued by giving his take on United’s season, with new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe bedding in and manager Erik ten Hag facing an uncertain future.
Like Cullen, Littler is outside the top-four world ranking required to be guaranteed a spot on the eight-player Premier League roster. But ‘The Rockstar’ insists that the PDC were right to include the youngster as one of four wildcard choices due to his significant commercial value.
“Had plenty of messages about PL picks – some saying I should be in, some saying other players should be in,” Cullen wrote on X after the line-up was announced. “Personally think [the PDC] got it right this year! Littler HAD to be in! The global attention his rise has attracted is huge for darts! And we as players will all benefit.”
