Luke Littler has been urged to reach out to Phil Taylor by a darts legend, with the teenage sensation struggling for form on the oche in recent months
Luke Littler has come under fire amid suggestions his passion for video games is hampering his darts career.
Following an early exit from the World Grand Prix at the hands of Rob Cross, many are pointing fingers at Littler’s recent switch to new darts as a potential cause for his slump in form. But darts icon Dennis Priestley thinks the 17-year-old’s love of video games such as EAFC (formerly FIFA) is more likely to be the culprit.
Speaking to BoyleSports, Priestley, 74, said: “It looks that way for Luke [getting distracted by things away from the oche like video games]. He’s not that good to be able to take things for granted.
“The more times he keeps getting beat, the more it’s going to affect his confidence. He needs to inherit the aura about him like Phil Taylor had.”
Despite recent hiccups, Littler is poised to build on the nine titles he’s clinched over the course of his stunning professional debut year, and is eyeing glory at December’s World Darts Championship, where he first captured the spotlight a year ago.
Given his track record, The Nuke is still seen as a top contender at every tournament, yet Priestley stresses that the youngster ought to seek wisdom from 16-time world champion Phil Taylor if he truly wants to etch his name into the history books and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with genuine legends of the game.
“If Littler feels he needs some advice, it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to Phil,” Priestley said. “He has to have that mentality if he wants to be thought of as one of the best players of all time.”
It isn’t the first time that Priestley, himself a former two-time world champion, has spoken out against Littler, having recently urged him to surround himself with “the right people”. Speaking on Club 501, The Menace insisted that Littler has the potential to eclipse David Beckham’s worth if he remains focused.
“He is still so young and his career could go one way or the other. I just hope he’s surrounding himself with the right people who will keep him grounded. If they can do that and he can remain at the top of his game for 10 or so years, then he’ll be worth more than David Beckham.
“However, it’s hard for any player to remain at the top for that length of time. Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry managed a decade at the top of snooker, but it’s very difficult to go on for longer than that. Phil Taylor dominated darts for nearly 20 years but that is not the norm.”
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