Phil Taylor believes Luke Littler can make a fortune in the next couple of years amid his stunning darts displays.
The 17-year-old burst onto the scene at the World Darts Championship at the tail end of last year and hasn’t looked back, with the teenager continuing to shine.
Littler has held his own in the Premier League so far, picking up five points – with only Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen clocking up more.
Taylor knows all about the pressure of being one of the best darts players in the world, having dominated the sport during his playing career.
Luke Littler has captivated the nation with his stunning darts displays over the past couple of months
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And the 63-year-old has tipped Littler for the very top, expressing a belief the youngster can make a fortune over the next few years.
Taylor also says the teenager left a positive impression on him, too, after the pair met.
Speaking on the Weekly Dartscast, Taylor said: “I watched every game he played [at the World Darts Championship].
“I really enjoyed it. Young Luke, I thought he was a breath of fresh air.
“I say this in all honesty as well. He’s a good lad, he’s a nice kid. I’ve met him and he’s a nice, down-to-earth lad.
“He’s got a lot of years ahead of him now and if I was him I’d just take my time a little bit.
“It’s up to Luke what he does. He’s got to earn the money, or he could earn a fortune in the next two years and have a nice life ahead of him.
“Make himself secure for the rest of his life. It’s entirely up to him.”
He added: “When we started with the BDO we were literally non-stop, we were playing four tournaments a day sometimes and it was hard work.
“It’s when you’ve got a lot of money, your motivation isn’t there.
“When you’re skint and you’ve got to play, you don’t even think about it, you just do it.”
Taylor also revealed close friends have been inspired to play darts as a result of Littler’s performances at the oche.
He added: “I’ve got friends asking me: ‘Have you got any spare darts for my son?’, all because of this Luke thing, it’s brilliant.
“It would be the same in every sport.
“Football’s the same, you have your lads and dads and every one of them will have David Beckham boots or Messi boots.
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Luke Littler has fared well in the Premier League by picking up five points so far
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“Everybody’s got a dream. Everybody needs somebody on a pedestal to look up to and think: ‘I want to be like him’.”
Littler is currently preparing for another night of Premier League action.
The teenager will lock horns with Smith on Thursday night hoping to continue his excellent form in the competition so far.
Meanwhile, speaking earlier in the week, Luke Humphries opened up on Littler and hit out at critics of both himself and his young rival.
“I understand the pressures of being world champion but every game you lose, like the Ian White game on Monday, can happen. No excuses, I got fairly beaten,” he said.
Phil Taylor thinks Luke Littler can rake in milliions in the future as the teenager continues to shine
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“But when everybody gets on your back, it can become tiresome.
“I probably over-achieved at the back end of last year – no one expected it, so it would be nice if people stayed off my back a little bit.
“It’s not just me – Luke [Littler] gets so much pressure as well and it’s tough when you are relatively new to it.
“I don’t feel the target on my back, but every time you lose a game, suddenly everyone is against you and everyone thinks you are going to fall by the wayside.
“You can’t always play well – I’ve played a lot of darts in the past four or five months and there have been a lot of ups and not many downs.
“I’m still learning that, with my status as world champion, comes a lot of pressure but I’m learning to handle it.”
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