PHIL TAYLOR has warned Luke Littler he would be ill-advised to “poke the bear” of Michael van Gerwen ahead of their Blockbuster World Matchplay clash.
The Nuke, 17, faces Holland’s three-time world darts champion on Monday night at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
It is Littler’s first appearance at the PDC summertime major but he could not have been handed a harder opener.
When the draw was made, Littler put a message on X that said fans should “get your popcorn ready – it’s gonna be sick”.
This ticks off another key destination on the darts calendar following his debuts at Ally Pally, the O2 Arena and New York’s Madison Square Garden over the last seven months.
Though it was a post that was meant to promote a Box Office tie, Taylor, 63, felt it was a subtle dig at Mighty Mike – and The Power reckons it is best to let the darts do the talking.
Taylor, the 16-time world darts champion, said: “I’d love to see Luke Littler do well and his first-round game with Michael is worthy of the final.
“But young Luke is winding up on social media about all the places where he’s beaten Van Gerwen in the past – and that might make him angry.
“If I was in Luke’s shoes, I’d keep quiet and let him think about it, let him do the worrying.
“But with Michael, if you poke the bear he might get angry.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“They’re both fantastic players and Michael has won it three times already.
“But there’s no doubt there are players who want to bring Luke down a peg or two.
“Rivalry is great for darts because it sells tickets and it makes viewers tune in on Sky.
“Like people wanted to watch Benn and Eubank fight but the kid has got to be careful.
“Don’t get carried away, go up there and do your job, take home the prize money, pay the taxman his share and enjoy it.”
Taylor – whose name is emblazoned on the World Matchplay trophy – recently had right hip surgery having battled painful arthritis for many years.
Though he requires crutches at present and is housebound, he is considering doing a U-Turn on his retirement plans and maybe playing competitively in 2025 and beyond.
Originally he was going to call it quits at the end of this year on the World Seniors Darts Tour but he is frustrated by how terribly he threw at the Circus Tavern last February.
Taylor said: “It went perfectly – I’ve got to learn to walk again and it will take a few more weeks until I’m fully mobile. But I’ll be back on the practice board soon.
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
The wonderkid has now cemented his place among the tungsten elite by winning the Premier League Darts final – and the £275k top prize.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.
“Nobody knew, because I didn’t tell anyone, but I had been playing in pain for 10 years, maybe even more. In the end I couldn’t hide it.
“I wouldn’t blame the hip for the way I had been playing on the seniors tour – although I’ve never produced anywhere near my best – but after I had finished playing a match I’d be in a lot of discomfort.
“Once I’m back on the board, I want to give it a real go. I don’t want to bow out averaging 80 and just fade away – I want people to remember me as a winner.
“Although I intended to make this year my last one in competition, if everything works out well when I’m back up and running again, I might have a chat with Jason (Thame) and see if carrying on for another year might be an option.
“You’re a long time retired and I want the public to remember the best of me, not the guy who hung around too long.”
