Michael van Gerwen has changed his mind about protecting Luke Littler after issuing a passionate plea in the wake of his third Premier League Darts victory. The Dutchman defeated Littler on his way to glory in Newcastle and now holds a healthy lead over the competition.
Michael van Gerwen has made a sharp U-turn after beating Luke Littler in the Premier League Darts.
Van Gerwen claimed a 6-5 win over Littler in the semi-finals before going on to take a hat-trick of victories in the final against Nathan Aspinall. The three-time world champion has locked horns with Littler on several occasions since the teenager burst onto the scene, after losing their first contest in Bahrain.
Van Gerwen missed six match darts as Littler sent their semi to a decider, before ending the contest with a 90 finish. When initially told that the Premier League had become a battle between himself and Littler, Van Gerwen replied: “Not really, I keep beating him!”
During the press conference, Van Gerwen had a request for the media as he sought to protect the teenager. Van Gerwen was full of praise for Littler but insisted that he needed less pressure from outside to thrive in darts.
“He’s a phenomenal player I know that,” Van Gerwen added. “He has got a lot of talent and he has a great career in front of him, but like I always say get the pressure a little bit off him. Don’t ask him too many stupid questions. Just let him enjoy what he does and it makes him a better player in the long run.”
It marks a stark difference from when world champion Luke Humphries called on the senior players on tour to help Littler on his rise to fame. “It’s important that all of the players look after him and no one takes advantage of him or use him too much,” Humphries said. “Because that will happen in life – people will want to use him because of his popularity and stature. But all the players will look after him and make sure none of that happens.”
Humphries’ comments before the Premier League commenced were not met with agreement from his fellow professionals, with Peter Wright suggesting that Littler has to deal with all that comes his way single-handedly.
When asked if Van Gerwen felt protective of his new rival, he replied: “Really? Of course not. Welcome to the big boys. He is not a youth player any more. Those days are gone. Of course, he’s still only a kid, but now you have got to battle against each other on the stage and there cannot be any mercy whatsoever.”
But despite his initial protests at the idea that Littler would be aided, Van Gerwen has already made strides to protect the 17-year-old.
