Luke Littler parades trophy at Old Trafford after 'Man Utd syndrome' warning
Share:
Darts world champion Luke Littler paraded his trophy on the Old Trafford pitch during Manchester United's Premier League match against Brighton but couldn't inspire them to victory. Littler, who turns 18 on Tuesday, is a United fan who has regularly chimed in on the team's struggles this season. In early January, he called on the Red Devils to move for Dani Olmo amid uncertainty over the Barcelona star's registration.
While the team he supports have struggled on the pitch, Littler showed a winning mentality at Ally Pally around the turn of the year. After losing the world final to Luke Humphries in 2024, he went one better this time around with an assured victory over Michael van Gerwen.
With 45 minutes gone against Brighton, the teenager was given the freedom of Old Trafford. He held the Sid Waddell Trophy aloft, with mascot Fred the Red in close attention as he walked across the turf. United went behind early at home to Fabian Hurzeler's Seagulls, with Bruno Fernandes bringing them level at the break when he converted a penalty, but Brighton scored two more after the break to claim victory. While Littler has shown few nerves on the biggest of stages, former world champion Phil Taylor recently warned him about "Man Utd syndrome".
"If he wants to beat my world record, then he can go ahead and do it," Taylor told the PA news agency. "It's going to be difficult, to win 16 titles you are going to have to be in a lot of finals. "It's a lot of darts, a lot of hotels, a lot of miles travelling. He'd have to play for the next 20 years to get close to my record and for 20 years he's got to be dedicated and make sure he does everything right.
