Utd fan Littler dismisses Klopp’s praise as ‘literally another day in my life’
LUKE LITTLER says receiving praise from Jurgen Klopp was just “literally another day in the life”.
The 17-year-old became a national superstar with his fairytale run at the PDC World Darts Championship, which ended on January 3 when Luke Humphries, 28, beat him 7-4 at Ally Pally to be crowned champion.
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The star, dubbed ‘Luke the Nuke’, earned £200,000 by finishing in second place and went on to win the Bahrain Masters, bagging a further £20,000 by beating Michael van Gerwen in the final.
Littler then returned to his hometown of Warrington for a subdued celebration of his 17th birthday and then defeated Humphries in the semi-finals of the Dutch Masters, but suffered defeat to MVG in the final.
He only turned professional in January and capped off a whirlwind few weeks with a first call-up and then a bow for the Premier League.
His exploits have impressed everyone, including legendary football manager Klopp.
The Reds boss compared his young players, who helped Liverpool beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final last weekend, to Littler.
However, the darts player appeared unmoved by that praise when asked about it after beating James Wade to reach the last 32 of the UK Open on Friday.
He said: “I gave it a like and moved on to the next video. That was literally another day in my life.”
Manchester United fan Littler added: “I watched the final and the young lads are doing well, but if he wants to compare them to me then he can.”
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Littler averaged almost 102 and had four 100+ finishes while outscoring Wade 10-7. He is now favorite for the tournament after Michael van Gerwen’s opening night defeat to Austrian Mensur Suljovic.
On his chances of a first major title since joining the premier PDC Tour, Littler said: “I haven’t even thought about it, but I know that if my game is there every game, I don’t understand why I can’t win. It.
“It doesn’t matter to me who I play against. It’s what I dreamed of, playing in front of thousands every week, I’m just doing it at ease.”
Klopp had compared Liverpool youngster Jayden Danns to Littler after the 18-year-old was thrust into the spotlight due to the injury crisis the Merseysiders are currently experiencing.
He showed his potential by grabbing a brace in the Reds FA Cup fifth round against Southampton on Wednesday, with his manager saying: “It’s [a] A bit like the new darts sensation, it’s fine for tonight. Leave the boys in the corner tomorrow.
“Everyone who is with us, we have to have our moments, they will have more moments than we expect.”
He added: “[He’s an] exceptional talent.
“It is of course not normal for an 18-year-old boy to be as calm as you want. The second goal, calm as you like.