Michael van Gerwen has hit out at Luke Littler and told the PDC to 'stop treating him like a baby' following an incident ahead of their Premier League clash.
The Premier League Darts begins on Thursday as Littler defends his title following last year's triumph.
The teenage sensation also enters the competition as the reigning world champion following his victory over Van Gerwen at Ally Pally.
Ahead of this year's Premier League, the eight stars involved took part in a photoshoot prior to the opening night in Belfast on Thursday.
The players involved in this season's campaign had media obligations outside of the slipway outside the Titanic museum.
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But Littler turned up late, delaying the photoshoot.
Speaking to the media, Van Gerwen slammed Littler and told the PDC to 'stop treating him like a baby' in a stinging rant.
"They need to stop treating him as a baby. He’s not a baby anymore, he’s 18-years-old," he exclaimed.
"It happens. He has to learn. You have to learn the hard way.
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"It’s a professional sport so you have to be responsible for your actions, simple as that."
The Dutchman added: "If he turns up late for an interview, I don’t really mind.
"But seven other people were waiting for him, that’s not really nice. But it is what it is."
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Littler responded to Van Gerwen's comments as he defended his late arrival.
"I fell asleep," he said.
"I was in the city. I was upstairs. Oh, I was 25 minutes late. Michael called me lazy. I was just laughing at him."
On the 2025 World Darts Championship final against Van Gerwen, the 18-year-old added: "I've not watched the whole (Ally Pally) final back - only the winning double. He's going to be up for it, he's going to be hungry. But I am up for it as the reigning champion."
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Littler vs. Van Gerwen is the standout quarter-final match on Thursday's opening night of the Premier League.
Chris Dobey vs. Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting vs. Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall vs. Luke Humphries are the other fixtures scheduled for Night One.
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen
Nasir Jabbar