Michael van Gerwen fires clear warning to Luke Littler amid huge Phil Taylor claim

Michael van Gerwen has boldly declared he won't allow young darts talents - Luke Littler and Luke Humphries - to dominate the sport over the next five years, boasting that he has previously 'forced Phil Taylor into retirement'. The Green Machine has had a varied 2024 but enjoyed a triumphant moment last month at the Hungarian Darts Trophy, ending a dry spell on the European Tour since his previous victory in May 2023 at the Belgian Darts Open.

Well accustomed to leading the field, the three-time world champion now finds himself observing as Littler and Humphries grab most of the titles, igniting speculation that a new era in darts has begun. However, Van Gerwen confidently stated that neither the rise of Littler - who was born in Runcorn and now flies the flag for Warrington - nor Humphries intimidates him, describing his enthusiasm for challenging the fresh crop of darts prodigies.

In an exclusive interview with Express Sport about the darts hierarchy in five years' time, Van Gerwen remained defiant, asserting: "I'll definitely be there [among the best darts players in the world in five years]."

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He continued to challenge the younger competitors, adding: "I'm not going to stop in five years, they'll [Littler and Humphries] need to do really well to keep me off my position and if they want to win as many tournaments [as me] in five years. I can't see that happening, but you never know."

Van Gerwen went on: "Nobody knew there was a kid from Holland coming on the block who made Phil Taylor retire, do you know what I mean? That's how quickly it can go," as per reports from The Express.

Despite the bold claim, considering 16-time world champion Taylor retired with a superior head-to-head record, having won 20 of their matches against Van Gerwen's 19 victories. Moreover, Taylor prevailed in their sole World Championship Final clash in 2013.

However, as Taylor's career wound down, it became evident that Van Gerwen was poised to take over the Stoke-on-Trent legend's mantle as the world's top darts player.

With as many as 47 PDC major titles to his name, Van Gerwen is still a force in the sport and feels confident that, despite rising talents such as Littler and Humphries, he can finish the year strongly. When questioned about his ongoing motivation after achieving so much in darts, Van Gerwen responded: "Because I still love what I do."

He elaborated on his passion for the game, saying, "Of course, I have my moments where I've thought; 'Do I really want to do this?' But I still love what I do. I think that's the key what you need to have to produce and to do as good as you want and as you can."

He also noted: "Everything I do at the moment is working a little bit against me, I've not had the right luck at the right moment. My standard right now is quite good, most games I throw a 100 average. So that's not too bad, but I'm not in that zone where I want to be. The most important moment of the year still has to come."