Former Premier League champion James Wade believes there are several higher-ranked players on the PDC who are ‘seething inside’ and ‘very jealous’ of the attention that Luke Littler is getting.
Littler stunned the world of darts at Alexandra Palace over the festive period as he made history in making it all the way to the final.
The teenager has since proven that his runner-up finish was no fluke after being awarded a wildcard spot in the Premier League as well as picking up trophies on the European Tour, Players Championship and World Series of Darts.
He made even more history on Thursday night in winning the first major of his young career when he defeated world No 1 Luke Humphries to lift the Premier League title.
Luke Littler has taken the world of darts by storm
PA
Humphries was full of praise for Littler after the match with other top-ranked players also coming out in support of the way the 17-year-old has taken to the professional tour.
However, Wade believes there are some players who are ‘jealous’ of how much attention Littler has been getting.
“I would say it’s the higher-ranked players [who are getting annoyed at Littler’s success],” Wade told the PA News Agency.
“They’re having their noses put out of joint because it’s not about them.
“It doesn’t matter what any of those other players do at the moment, it’s not about them.
“I know what most of them are like, for me it’s never been about being known. It’s never been about being recognised.
“For some of them it is about that. They’ll be affected. It’s affecting those higher-ranked players that are out there around the top.
“Because they’re not getting the press they would normally get. And they’re not getting the recognition.
“I’m not going to name names, but there’ll be some out there very, very, very jealous and seething inside.
“And it’s quite funny to stand back and watch from a distance.”
Luke Littler won the Premier League title on Thursday night
PA
Wade feels Littler is more than deserving of the recognition he’s been receiving for his achievements.
“I’m not knocking him because he’s a lovely lad and he’s doing really, really well,” he added.
“But it just shows sometimes that with the weight of social media and the press they can make and break people, and they can fast-track players and they can also make players money that other players have never earned.
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Luke Humphries has struggled against Luke Littler since the World Championship final
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“And that’s exactly what Luke Littler is getting at the moment. He’s earning money that no other player has ever earned for the space of time he’s been around.
“He’s got more attention than anyone I’ve ever seen. And it’s brilliant.
“It’s absolutely brilliant and fair play as a young lad with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, because I say all of this, and he’s not won much yet.
“And he’s got more attention than I’ve ever seen Michael van Gerwen or Phil Taylor get.”
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