What Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson told darts wonderkid Luke Littler

By Tom Hancock
published

Man United fan Littler recently rose to prominence by reaching the final of the World Darts Championship at the age of just 16

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 1: Sir Alex Ferguson looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on February 1, 2024 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United-supporting teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has already rubbed shoulders with his sport's biggest stars – and now he's been seeking advice from one of football's all-time greats, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Littler, who turned 17 a few weeks ago, stunned the sporting world by reaching the final of the 2024 World Darts Championship on his debut in the competition – while still aged just 16.

'The Nuke' from Warrington knocked out former world champion Rob Cross en route to the final – where he was eventually beaten by namesake Luke Humphries – and his prodigious rise has seen him tipped to go to the very top of the game.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Runner-up Luke Littler of England celebrates with the runner-up trophy after the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship Final between Luke Littler of England and Luke Humphries of England on Day Sixteen of the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on January 03, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Luke Littler won £200,000 for finishing as runner-up at the World Darts Championship (Image credit: Getty Images)

And one man who knows exactly what it takes to achieve such greatness is legendary former Man United boss Ferguson.

Littler was lucky enough to get a word in with the 13-time Premier League title-winning manager during United's clash with Tottenham at Old Trafford last month.

"That was good," he said. "My dad has seen their [Manchester United's] glory years – witnessed [the treble triumph of] '99, and so it was good for him to meet him. It was a good chat. I didn't get much out of him because of his accent, but he did say keep going and stick to it."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: Luke Littler, professional darts players sits below Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe, a 25% share holder of Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on January 14, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Ferguson (sat next to new United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe) and Littler watched the Red Devils draw 2-2 with Spurs (Image credit: Getty Images)

Littler's run to the World Championship final saw him included in the line-up for the 2024 edition of Premier League darts.

In the second meeting of the competition earlier this week in Berlin, Littler lost a thrilling final 6-5 to three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.

More Manchester United stories from FourFourTwo

Sir Alex Ferguson has given his brutal assessment of Tottenham's Premier League title chances.

Meanwhile, Man United icon Gary Neville has revealed two secrets to Ferguson's enormous success during his reign at Old Trafford.

And Marcus Rashford has been linked with a sensational summer move to PSG.

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for The Analyst and When Saturday Comes, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...