LUKE LITTLER will have to wait to confirm his spot at the top of the Premier League Darts table.
The Nuke was hammered by Michael van Gerwen in their semi-final showdown in Leeds.
Littler, 17, had won his last 12 professional encounters but the teenage sensation came up short against the great MVG.
The outspoken Manchester United fan was booed AGAIN as he smashed Peter Wright 6-1 in his earlier match.
Littler was also jeered in Liverpool but, unlike that night, could not silence his rival fans by going all the way.
If he had reached the final, he would have gone into the final day with an unassailable lead at the head of the table even if he lost.
Van Gerwen, 35, will face Luke Humphries in the showpiece after Cool Hand eased past Michael Smith.
Littler has admitted that his schedule is “breathtaking” but insists he will not suffer from burnout.
He will go to The O2 in a fortnight seeking to win his first major title in the Premier League – and the £275,000 jackpot – having already taken glory in two Euro Tours, a World Series and Pro Tour this year.
The teen said: “It’s very tough. We are coming home after whatever Premier League, waking up at stupid o’clock to go to a Euro Tour. If I win on the Friday and Saturday I can focus then on the Sunday.
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“I didn’t realise how big darts was in multiple countries. I only found that out after the Worlds.
“It’s breathtaking travelling to all these places. I’ve learnt a lot over the first four or five months of the season. I now know what else is coming.
“I’ll just relax myself and then the Euro Tour. But I won’t burn myself out.”
There were concerns when Littler took on the gruelling Premier League schedule.
But the Warrington wonderkid is currently the most in-form player in the world despite tonight’s defeat.
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.
Check out all of our Luke Littler stories here.
