Darts LIVE: Luke Littler hailed ‘better than Van Gerwen’ as Phil Taylor mocked | Other | Sport

Former darts star Glen Durrant has hailed Luke Littler as “better than Michael van Gerwen” after the 16-year-old booked his place in the third round of the World Darts Championship before Christmas.

“I am a big, big fan of Luke Littler,” explained Durrant. “He’s got something special, he has that real X-Factor. I remember watching Michael van Gerwen when I first went on the circuit. He was 16 years old and I thought, ‘this is a once-in-a-generation player.’ And I think Luke Littler at 16 is better than Van Gerwen was at the same age.

“He has excellent rhythm, he’s very mature, he looks older than 16 and he has handled it very, very well so far. There is a lot of scrutiny, but he just brushes it aside. The confidence that is coming out of him right now, it’s a good time for him to go to Ally Pally. He is on a roll, so why not go and enjoy it?”