"When I first started playing, he was my Phil Taylor'' - Nathan Aspinall has great respect for Michael van Gerwen

Michael van Gerwen will face off with Nathan Aspinall on Thursday night on the 11th night of the Premier League Darts in Birmingham. Speaking to Sportsboom, 'The Asp' indicated that he has great respect for the quality of the three-time world champion.

"When I first started playing, he was my Phil Taylor. Michael knows how much I respect him; how much I look up to him,'' the 32-year-old Englishman explained.

However, it has been a while since Van Gerwen has won a tournament. According to Aspinall, however, that does not diminish the status of 'Mighty Mike'. "Is he the best player at the moment? No, I think we all know who that man is, but for me, he's still the man to beat," Aspinall asserted. "No one has onstage presence like him. Whenever I play Michael, it’s always a ‘pinch me’ moment.''

The reigning World Matchplay champion gives himself a good chance of beating Van Gerwen on Thursday night. "I'm going to get the job done because the pressures on him," he declared. "I've had a great run. I've had four finals in the last six weeks. I'm in a great run of form and I'm not playing my best. The pressure's on Michael, not me. I can go to Birmingham and enjoy the moment. But yeah, I think I’ll win,'' Aspinall concluded.