Michael van Gerwen may have ruffled Luke Littler's feathers with a brutal comment he made after winning his third Premier League event of 2024.
Van Gerwen beat Littler 6-5 in the semi-final after surviving a late push from the teenager, who missed one dart to send him into the final.
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Their meeting in Newcastle was the fourth of their career's with Littler winning the first in Bahrain, but the Dutchman has won the three since.
Van Gerwen went on to win the night by beating world number 4 Nathan Aspinall in the final by six legs to four.
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After the night Van Gerwen faced the press and fired a shot at his new teenage competitor when asked if there was a rivalry growing between the pair.
"Not really, I keep beating him," The Dutchmen joked.
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However, the three-time World Champion was quick to give credit to Littler who sits third out of eight in the overall Premier League standings.
"No, he's a phenomenal player, I know that. He has such a lot of talent and he has got a great career in front of him. But like I always say, get the pressure off him, don't ask him too many stupid questions. Let him just enjoy what he does and it will make him a better player in the long run," Van Gerwen stated.
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Despite failing to make it to the final for the second week running, Littler was still in good spirits.
"Great night in Newcastle, obviously disappointed to not make the final but well done to Michael on a hat-trick of win. All I can do is enjoy it and look who I'm playing week in and week out at 17. The world's best players," He wrote on Instagram.
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Despite dominating the Premier League thus far, Van Gerwen was quick to dismiss any potential targets he may have for the year during his press conference.
He stated: "I don’t know how many nights I can win, I don’t want to give myself a target but it could be a record this year. At this time of year, you need to keep your focus going and your motivation going. Everything is going well at the moment and I don’t care about the rest."
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler