"With some of those contracts he’ll be dealing with, he’ll definitely need big advice" - Glen Durrant 'surprised' by Luke Littler's abrupt management split as he picks out successor

Former Premier League winner Glen Durrant was surprised to hear the news that Luke Littler had stepped away from his management but believed that he was in good hands if left with his family.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable stint with Martin Foulds ZXF Sports Management, bursting on the scene at the World Championships as a 16-year-old with their guidance. He has since become world champion, along with a variety of other titles and records.

He is currently among the best darts players in the world in Leicester competing in the World Grand Prix. He managed to clinch his first win in the event, recording the fourth highest average in Grand Prix history to defeat a superb Gian van Veen 2-0, who in turn beat Alan Warriner-Little's record set back in 2001.

This has all come about after the news broke that Littler and his management team would go their separate paths. Despite this being in the works for some time, it was announced just a day before The Nuke would return to the Mattioli Arena, causing for fans and pundits to look on with confusion and intrigue. This was no different for Durrant, who lauded Foulds for the job he had done with Littler.

"I was surprised — I was shocked, to be honest," Durrant said when speaking on Sky Sports. "First of all, I’d like to say a big well done to Martin as well, because Luke was this player — a 12- or 13-year-old — that everybody was talking about, and he’s been dealt with absolutely perfectly. My immediate thoughts were that I was a little bit surprised. I thought it was a combination that worked — one that had a bit of longevity to it.

Durrant went on to speak highly of Littler's parents, picking out his dad as a possible successor for the job.

"I’ve become good friends with Luke’s dad, and it’s always been a bit of a family affair," Durrant said. "He’s got wonderful support from his mum and dad — I’ve got to know them really well, and the relationship is fantastic. But when you’re a top-eight player, it’s interesting what Luke said — 'I can book my own flights and hotels.' I’ve had a manager for over a decade now, and you want that motivation, you want everything to be perfect. You just want the right person by your side. Maybe Luke sees his dad as that person. It’ll be interesting — they’ll have advisors as well. Luke is huge; he’s a commodity, one of the biggest sports stars in Britain. So it won’t be purely family — they’ll be getting good advice elsewhere too."

With Littler's popularity sky-rocketing, he will have a lot of interest from brands and companies, all wanting to cash in off his celebrity status. Durrant joked that Littler would be striving for 'global domination' and that with him attracting huge offers and more interests, he needs the right people around his to help make the best decisions in his interest.

"He’s an incredible person, and there’ll be some eye-watering contracts he’s looking at," Durrant said. "But first and foremost, he’s just insanely good on the dartboard — and that’s what’s really important to Luke. He must stay focused on what he does best. He’s got good people around him — remember, it’s a family that travels with him everywhere. They’ll make the right decisions. He’s got good people, good sponsors by his side — it’ll be exciting to watch what happens in the future."

Despite all of this, Durrant would be surprised if it is only the Littler family controlling everything. "I genuinely don’t know. Like I say, he’s such a big name now — I’d be amazed if it’s just the family. I’d be shocked if it’s purely a family-run Luke Littler affair. There are good people around him, and with some of those contracts he’ll be dealing with, he’ll definitely need big advice."