Micahel van Gerwen warns against the press hounding Luke Littler “He’s a young kid. How much pressure everyone puts on his shoulders is insane”

In an attempt to relieve the strain on the teenager’s shoulder, Michael van Gerwen has called for an end to the “stupid questions” that are being asked of Luke Littler.

The 17-year-old, who made his debut in the World Championship last year, has had an incredible few months. A run that took him all the way to Alexandra Palace for the final.

Littler went on to upset Van Gerwen in Bahrain and win his first World Series championship. But in their last three confrontations, the Dutchman has answered in kind by winning each time.

The most recent was on Thursday in Newcastle during a 6-5 Premier League Darts semi-final victory over Nathan Aspinall, which Van Gerwen went on to win.

During his post-event press conference, the three-time world champion addressed inquiries on Littler and pleaded with the press to be more respectful of the rising star.

He started off by teasing a reporter who had seen a growing rivalry between the two. “Not really, I keep beating him,” he remarked.

“He’s a phenomenal player, He has a lot of talent and he has such a great career in front of him.” Van Gerwen continued.

‘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.

“He’s a young kid. How much pressure everyone puts on his shoulders is insane. I know, as a player, how it is. I don’t think it’s fair on him. But that’s my opinion.

“Let him enjoy his life. Let him do his own thing. If he puts his shoe on, puts his darts in the sand, put his finger in his nose, whatever he does, people speak about it. Of course that happens with famous people, but let him live his life.

“I just like darts and I want to protect the product. I like to perform to the highest level, and that’s why I like to play against Luke Littler. But if you keep doing this, I’ve seen a lot of kids in his position drift off. So I don’t think that’s good for the sport.”