Luke Littler has been touted to rule darts for numerous decades, but former Premier League Darts champion Glen Durrant fears the 19-year-old's time in the sport may be abrupt. Durrant shared his concerns with OLBG, predicting a shortened career for the teenage sensation who has already taken the sport by storm.
"I've said 10 years. Maybe to the age of 30. And that's probably when he's going to be at his peak," Durrant told OLBG. "When you start adding attributes like experience and things like that, I feel darts players are reaching their peak between 30 and 40." However, he did not see Littler going further than that. "I really do. But I just don't see him going the distance, because it's the motivational side of things. When you get set for life, when he's going to have a young family, do I really want to go and have to practise? Do I really want to go to the European Tour? Do I really want to go to a Players Championship? I think he'd always miss the TV tournaments, but I just don't see him winning 16 world titles."
Littler first burst onto the scene at the PDC World Darts Championship in 2024, with his run to the final setting the tempo for what would be years of domination. He found his feet on the tour that year before really exploding after winning his first title at Ally Pally. After defending it, he threatened a clean sweep of all majors after collecting the Winmau Masters, UK Open, Premier League Darts, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay trophies. His quest came to an end at the hands of Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals, but another concerning talking point cropped up. The reception given to him was hostile and savage, with Dutch fans not overly fond of him, and even his native English supporters evidently siding with Luke Woodhouse at the World Grand Prix, in which the world number one lost in the opening round after a disastrous doubling display.
Durrant emphasised how big Littler is for the sport and the crater he would leave behind. "If he walked away tomorrow, he'd be an incredible loss. Littler feels a little bit special," he admitted. "I don't think he's a darts player anymore. I think he's a celebrity. He's one of the most recognised people in the UK. And it's very difficult to try and talk darts generally when you're talking about Littler, because he's just so different to everybody else. (Winning) is a drug. So the answer, I think, is no. I think he would miss it."
While many players struggle to make a living, Littler's earnings have seen him set himself up for the rest of his life. "Gone are the days where he worries about money now, because he's probably already got money to set him up for the rest of his life." Although the caveat from leaving would be that blissful feeling of victory. "But that feeling of lifting a trophy, it's a real adrenaline rush that I think would be impossible to walk away from. Who knows what he's got behind the scenes, endorsements and other things he's doing? Do I think he'll walk away? I don't think he will. Would he be a massive miss? Almost irreplaceable."
Already Littler is being listed in the same categories as some of the world's best, a remarkable achievement for someone only in his third full year on the PDC Tour. "We'll be talking about Luke Littler for the rest of our lives in the same breath as Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, this generational talent, this 16-year-old who reached the final." Durrant also praised Littler's maturity: "I think he's maturing beautifully. I love his interviews. I watched an interview when he reached the final, when he was 16, and I think all he said was: 'I can't quite believe this is happening.' So he's maturing nicely, but longevity? I don't think so."
