Phil Taylor is considered the most successful darter of all time, including 16 world titles, but 'The Power' admitted in an interview that
Luke Littler "has the ability" to overtake him as the greatest of all time.
The 17-year-old prodigy once again showed his unprecedented talent by winning the Grand Slam of Darts last weekend. By dealing with Gary Anderson (16-15) and Martin Lukeman (16-3) on final day, Littler captured his tenth PDC title of the season. Meanwhile, "The Nuke" is considered the bookmakers' big favorite for the world title, a year after his sensational breakthrough at the same tournament in Alexandra Palace.
His victory in Wolverhampton came 12 years earlier than Taylor's first major title at age 29. Radio station talkSport asked Taylor if his number of world titles will ever be surpassed. "I hope not. I'll tell you what though, if there's anybody that could do it, it's this young lad now. He's got the age on his side, and he's got the ability, so you never know, you never know."
When asked, the 64-year-old Taylor also had some advice for his young compatriot.
"Well, that's the thing, I've seen players come and go over the years. It's a matter of being dedicated and money isn't his motivation, believe it or not, he isn't really that bothered.
"He is a typical teenager and he isn't motivated by prize money. It's great, don't get me wrong, and he's secure, he's more interested in looking after his mother and father in tournaments.
"It's lovely to see, because I've seen so many players where they start earning money and that ruins their career then. But this lad, he just sits there, he's quiet as a mouse, he's lovely company to be with, to be honest."
Should Littler succeed in becoming world champion, he will enter the history books as the youngest ever world champion at the PDC. That is currently still Michael van Gerwen, who was 24 years and 9 months old when he took his first world title in 2014.