Probably the biggest name in the darts today, Luke Littler continues to transcend the sport and into the wider sporting consciousness. As England announced their squad for the upcoming European Championship, the 17-year-old made a surprise appearance.
A known Manchester United fan, Littler helped announce the inclusion of one of the club’s homegrown talents in the squad, Kobbie Mainoo. Sporting the new England kit, Littler can be seen throwing three darts at the board and hitting a 180. As the camera turns to the marker at the chalkboard however, instead of 180 being written down, the word ‘Mainoo’ is scribbled on the board, showing the world that Gareth Southgate was bringing the Man Utd youngster to his first major tournament.
A proud moment for the Nuke to be sure. “Euros squad✅ class being a part of the announcement vid,” wrote Littler in a post on his official X (Twitter) account after the squad reveal was dropped by the England team’s official social media pages, also sharing some behind the scenes images of himself at the shoot. “Time to back the boys c’monnnn England! It’s coming home.”
Whether or not England will be able to end their long attempt to make football come home later this summer, remains to be seen. Perhaps the addition of Littler, who recently took major success of his own at the Premier League Darts, could be the significant turning point needed for England to end their trophy hoodoo since the 1966 World Cup final.
England reacted to strongly to seeing Littler in the announcement video as well. One fan asked in reply: “Is this the Harry Maguire replacement?” in reference to the Manchester United defender being omitted from the squad due to a calf injury. Another fan commented: “I bet Luke could do a better job than Southgate,” whilst a third England supporter added: “Legend, go on Luke!”