Luke Littler has been warned he is nowhere near as good the world’s best player.
Reigning world champion Luke Humphries is a ‘million miles’ ahead of Luke Littler despite their head-to-head record, according to Nathan Aspinall. Littler and Humphries first met in the World Darts Championship final with Cool Hand coming out on top, but the tide has turned since then.
Littler has beaten Humphries six times following his defeat at Alexandra Palace in January, losing just once at the European Grand Prix earlier this month. Aspinall, however, believes the teenage superstar has a long way to go before he reaches the same level as Humphries.
“Humphries is the best player in the world by a million miles,” said Aspinall, who has trained with Littler in the past, during an appearance on the Love The Darts podcast.
“When he brings his A-game we can’t beat him. He has been producing numbers that are obscene. I don’t even do that in a practice room, let alone on the stage.
“I beat him last week and can hopefully count on that experience and get another result but he is definitely the best player out there at the moment.”
Aspinall went on to insist that Littler has been a welcome addition to the Premier League tour, with the 17-year-old currently second in the table behind only Humphries. However, the Asp added that the media attention Littler has enjoyed in recent months has been ‘getting under the skin’ of his rival players.
“What he has done for the game is amazing,” said Aspinall when quizzed on Littler. “He has kind of got under everyone’s skin because of what he is doing and what he is getting. We are like: ‘Who is this kid that got to the final of the Worlds and is now getting this, that and the other?’.
“It does kind of get under your skin and we are there to knock him down as much as we can, but there is no denying that he is a fantastic talent and a great addition to the Premier League.”
Littler and Humphries are both on course to feature in the Premier League play-offs, which will take place at the O2 Arena next month. It remains to be seen if Littler will be able to pip his rival to the title in what would be a remarkable achievement at the end of his debut campaign.