SNOOKER legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has advised darts prodigy Luke Littler to find a strong mentor as he looks to deals with the trappings of teenage fame.
Many have drawn parallels between O’Sullivan and Littler, given O’Sullivan also hit it big in his sport at a young age.
O’Sullivan became the youngest person ever to win a UK Snooker Championship title in 1993, at just 17.
And Littler went agonisingly close to emulating that this month when he reached the PDC World Darts Championship final at 16.
And O’Sullivan has said that Littler should now find a mentor similar to Sir Alex Ferguson to avoid going off the rails.
While O’Sullivan always maintained a good level of performance and is playing well into his 40s, his battles with mental health and addiction alongside his playing career are well publicised.
He told SportBoom.com that if he had his time again, he would emulate his former snooker rival Stephen Hendry and hire a good manager.
O’Sullivan said: “I think if I had my time again, I’d probably take the Hendry route and just be always around an Alex Ferguson type figure.
“I’d definitely choose to do things differently. So, just keep your feet on the ground if you can and just keep good people around.”
PDC veteran James Wade also had his own words of advice for Littler.
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Speaking to The Daily Star, he encouraged the budding superstar to keep his feet on the ground.
He said: “We have seen this before when people like Josh Rock emerged only to get caught up in the fanfare and then take a few years to adjust.
“I can understand the PDC’s desire to put Luke into the Premier League (he is their most marketable asset at present) but that roadshow is a lonely and tiring place and I really hope that it doesn’t come at the cost of burn-out for the rest of his career.
“He deserves to be nurtured because it is a great story, and he could turn out to be a top, top player for a long time.”
