Michael van Gerwen insists Luke Littler is ‘not a baby anymore’, but claims the teenage sensation should be allowed to ‘enjoy himself’ ahead of his Premier League debut

Michael van Gerwen believes Luke Littler should not be treated any differently to his other rivals following the 17-year-old’s meteoric rise over the past month.

Littler shot to fame at the recent World Championship by going all the way to the final and pocketing £200,000 in prize money, before losing to World No1 Luke Humphries.

He has followed that up by making the Bahrain and Dutch Masters finals, sharing a victory apiece with Van Gerwen.

The teenage sensation will make his Premier League debut tonight in Cardiff as eight of the world’s best players go head-to-head, and Van Gerwen has warned Littler to not expect any preferential treatment from his fellow professionals.

‘He’s now one of the boys. He’s not a baby anymore. Now he has to face it, but he does it,’ Van Gerwen told Mail Sport.

He has advised Littler to ‘enjoy himself’, as he warned him the path to the top will not always be a smooth one

Littler has taken his new-found fame in his stride, consistently beating world-class opponents while also interacting with the crowds at times during matches.

Van Gerwen feels it’s important that Littler continues to play with a smile on his face, as he admitted the rise to the top will not always be a smooth one for the young star. 

When asked for any words of advice he’s give to Littler, Van Gerwen said: ‘To keep enjoying (it). 

‘He doesn’t have any scars yet and he needs to make sure he does the right thing for himself and keeps performing. He still has a long journey to go, and good luck to him.

‘Everything he did was great. Nobody cared about losing a final because everything he did was positive, positive, positive. Until you’re there (signals to the sky), then they’re going to make sure you fall back the ladder again. But that’s something to worry about later on.’

Van Gerwen believes Littler should not expect any favours from his Premier League rivals 

Van Gerwen is now a three-time world champion and twice Littler’s age at 34, but he also started in the sport as a promising teenager.

Similarities have been drawn between the pair, but the Dutchman is not a fan of comparing himself to darts’ hottest prospect.

He is also unsure over whether a teenage version of himself would have beaten Littler.

‘That’s a tough one to call,’ he said as he tried to pick a winner.

‘In my time we used to play best of five legs. Now we play a lot longer format.’

Van Gerwen is a seven-time Premier League champion and has won the last two editions of the tournament.

Van Gerwen is happy with the way he is playing after falling short at the World Championship

One of three 12-foot gold darts that have been installed across Cardiff city centre to celebrate the BetMGM Premier League Darts

He crashed out at the quarter-final stage of the World Championship after a below-par performance against Scott Williams, but bounced back to lift the Dutch Masters title last week.

Heading into this year’s Premier League, he is happy with the state of his game, and fancies his chances of defending his crown once more.

‘I’m feeling nice, feeling comfortable. I’m playing some good darts,’ he said.

‘I’m looking forward to this year’s Premier League tournament. It will be tough like always, but I’m not going to step away from a challenge.’

Michael van Gerwen is playing in the BetMGM Premier League Darts. Visit betmgm.co.uk BeGambleAware 18+