Dennis Priestley warns of celebrities "trying to jump on the bandwagon of Luke Littler's media attention" as Romeo Beckham challenges teen sensation

There is no bigger name in the world of darts currently than that of Luke Littler. The 17-year-old has quickly transcended the sport and into the wider public consciousness. For former world champion Dennis Priestley however, this brings with it added concern.

Just a few days before Littler was highlighted by Forbes as part of their prestigious 30 under 30, recognising the most influential young sports stars, the World Darts Championship runner-up recieved a call-up by Romeo Beckham, son of the legendary ex-England footballer, David Beckham.

"@lukethenukelittler fancy a challenge?" The 21-year-old posted on his social media alongside a picture of him on the practice board with Littler replying in the comments and seemingly accepting the challenge.

"It'd be incredible to get David Beckham involved in darts - I'm not so sure about Romeo," Priestley says in conversation with OLBG, expressing concern. "Is he just trying to jump on the bandwagon of Luke Littler's media attention?"

"The PDC will always be looking at ways to incorporate a fun aspect to things instead of the seriousness of all the other tournaments," he continues. "It's always nice to have a bit of lighthearted fun and if they're up for it and can make a night of it, maybe for charity, that sounds good to me. We can't forget, Luke Littler is still so young and we have to be a little bit concerned for the lad. He's going to be forced to turn his head if all these top stars are wanting to be seen in his presence."

"As long as they can play and they're proper darts enthusiasts then it's all well and good. But if it's going to extract anything good from our game then you can only go so far with celebrities jumping on the Littler bandwagon," Priestley concludes.