"He has created that fear factor already like Bristow, Taylor and Van Gerwen had at their best" - Alan Warriner-Little compares Luke Littler to some of darts' biggest names

Luke Littler has quickly emerged as arguably the biggest name in darts since breaking through at the most recent World Darts Championship where he reached the final. Ahead of the teen sensation's World Matchplay debut, Alan Warriner-Little has been singing Littler's praises.

Asked by The Express if Littler's emergence was the best thing to have happened to the sport of darts, the former World Matchplay finalist turned ITV Sport pundit was decisive in his answer. “At the moment a very big yes," responds the 62-year-old. "Darts is in a fantastic place at the moment, the profile of the game has gone through the roof."

“He’s a great kid as well. Generally, he is quite relaxed with everything. The world is his oyster and, if he can keep this up for a few years, he will win loads," continues Warriner-Little, drawing comparisons between the 17-year-old Littler and some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. "He has created that fear factor already with players as Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor and Michael Van Gerwen had when they were at their best.”

Given the impact Littler has had on the profile of darts since his breakthrough, the PDC have been keen to invite the teen superstar to any and all events. Despite the busy schedule however, Littler has seen no signs of a burnout, winning the Premier League Darts in his debut campaign and taking successes on the World Series of Darts, the European Tour and the Pro Tour, with a slew of nine-darters thrown along the way for good measure.

“His schedule is pretty intense for a young lad and someone new to the professional game, but he has taken to it like a duck to water," assesses Warriner-Little, who is the Chairman of the PDPA. "His manager knows what he’s doing. His events have been well managed and it will be a lot easier now the Premier League has concluded, as that is tough for players, both mentally and physically. The PDC, along with us, take the welfare of all our players seriously. Players need to manage their diaries etc. There is a lot of travelling involved, and the ups and downs of the sport. From a PDPA perspective, we have a lot in place for players on their wellbeing if needed.”