The real reason why Darts legend Michael van Gerwen was forced to pull out of night nine of the Premier League has been revealed.
During a dramatic weekend of darts in Berlin, fan favourite star Stephen Bunting claimed his first win of the season, beating Gerwyn Price in the final.
Earlier in the round, darts sensation Luke Littler crashed out after a shock loss to Chris Dobey, while Van Gerwen had to withdraw from competing in his quarter final match due to a shoulder injury.
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However, the truth behind the Dutchman's decision to pull out of the Premier League round has now been revealed, and it's truly bizarre.
Van Gerwen was due to face Price in a quarter-final match in Berlin, but pulled out on the night due to his injury, meaning he took home zero points from the weekend
The 35-year-old was also due to play in the International Darts Open days later, but was once again held back by his injury, increasing feelings of concern amongst fans.
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However, Van Gerwen's close friend and fellow darts veteran has since explained that the injury strangely happened when the Dutchman was putting on a shirt,
"Michael hurt himself in the afternoon, it was really unfortunate," Van der Voort told the Darts Draait Door podcast.
"He was trying on some shirts for his sponsor, and as soon as he put one on, he said something didn't feel right. He could barely move his neck."
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Dutchman Van der Voort added: "He went to a physiotherapist, had a massage, even took muscle relaxants.
"He gave it a go, but it just wasn't happening. We ended up going back to the hotel, packed up, and drove home. I was back home by 2am."
The Dutch veteran will have his opportunity to get his season back on track on Thursday as the Premier League travels to Manchester's AO Arena for night 10.
Van Gerwen is currently third in the table, behind only Luke Humphries and Littler, but with just one point separating him and the chasing pack, he will be desperate to pick up his first Premier League win of the season this weekend.
Topics: Michael van Gerwen, Darts, Injury
Ben McCrum