Luke Littler is ‘highly unlikely’ to dominate darts in the same way as legendary ex-star Phil Taylor, according to former world champion Dennis Priestley.
Priestley feels the quality of other players on the current PDC circuit means that The Nuke has ‘no chance whatsoever’ of replicating Taylor’s success.
Taylor is widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time – having clinched a record 85 major titles – and a record 16 World Championships.
The Power largely dominated the sport for three decades across the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, winning a total of 214 professional tournaments.
Quizzed about those who have tipped Littler to follow in Taylor’s footsteps, Priestley told The Sports Daily: ‘I don’t think people will get bored of the sport if Littler continues winning and demolishing his opponents.
‘We got through the same scenario with Phil Taylor’s dominance and I’m sure we’ll do the same with Littler. That’s if he does go on to dominate the sport, which is highly unlikely as there are too many good players on the circuit these days.
‘I’d give Luke Littler zero chance of replicating the success Phil Taylor had in darts. No chance whatsoever.’
Taylor would be happy to come out of retirement to play Littler in an exhibition match, but only if it’s one leg of 301 and he gets to throw first.
‘No [I don’t want to play him]. Not yet, I don’t want to play him to be quite honest with you,’ Taylor told talkSPORT earlier this year.
Asked if he would take on the 17-year-old in an exhibition, he joked: ‘I’d play him in an exhibition, yeah. One leg of 301, I go first!’
Taylor also said he would happily mentor Littler – although revealed he had one rather unusual condition the 17-year-old would have to agree to.
‘With young Luke, they have asked me if I would sit down with him,’ Taylor added. ‘I said, ‘Of course, I will’ – but I would have to go and live with him for a few days, see what he is all about.
‘I know young Luke, we have the same sponsor. If I spent time with him, I would see how he practises, see how he eats and exercises, how he does anything.’
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