‘They should talk to Luke Littler’ – Man Utd legend says squad should turn to darts teenager for advice
MANCHESTER UNITED hero Jaap Stam believes that the Red Devils’ current crop should talk to Luke Littler about handling pressure.
Ruben Amorim‘s side have endured an awful season and sit 13th in the Premier League.
Littler, meanwhile, has continued to thrive since bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old at the World Darts Championship in December 2023.
After being beaten in the Ally Pally final on that occasion, the darts wonderkid went one better to become world champion earlier this year.
Stam, who hails from a proud darts nation in the Netherlands, believes that United’s new young core could do with taking a leaf from Littler’s book.
Chatting to Makthavare, the former centre-back, 52, said: “I’ve been so impressed with how Luke Littler has been performing, he is doing such an amazing job at a young age and I spoke to him at Old Trafford last season.
“I told him how impressive it was that he can still perform with all the noise and the shouting behind him at tournaments, it’s so hard to have that concentration and that focus.
“I think it’s different for certain personalities in how you approach certain situations and how you deal with that, Luke’s been doing a great job at that.
“For young footballers who are going from the academy to the first team at a big club it can be very difficult, you have to think about all the social media attention and pressure put on these players.
“I think it would be good for these young players to talk to Luke about his experience and how he handles high pressure situations.
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“I have seen players in the past who go from the academy to the first team and then they seem to struggle.
“It’s so important to have people within the club who can help that transition and make it easier for those young people to handle it and reach their potential.”
Man Utd have not lost a match in 90 minutes since their 1-0 defeat at Tottenham on February 16, although they did exit the FA Cup to Fulham on penalties during the subsequent seven-match stretch.
Littler, meanwhile, has continued to thrive.
On Thursday the 18-year-old claimed victory on Night Seven of the 2025 Darts Premier League in Cardiff.
Luke the Nuke will face winless Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals on Night Eight in Newcastle next Thursday.