DARTS star Michael van Gerwen has warned Luke Littler his way of thinking will change as a result of his success.
Littler, 17, burst on to the scene at the start of the year by making the Darts World Championship final at Ally Pally.
He has since won the Bahrain Darts Masters and been crowned champion of Premier League Darts.
Littler's success has seen him rise to No25 in the Order of Merit, while his victory at the O2 also saw him pocket £578,500, including a £275,000 prize for winning the tournament.
However, Dutchman Van Gerwen knows all about being the rising star of the darts world.
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And speaking to the Daily Mail, the 35-year-old warned Littler he will face a lot of new hurdles as he goes through his career.
MVG said: "I was the same age as him [when I started], my problem was in my time we didn't have social media. We only had MSN.
"I'm a bit older - I could be his dad.
"He's gonna face a lot of new things as well. He has a new girlfriend. He still lives with his mum and dad.
"He's gonna make steps in his life - that will change his way of thinking.
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"Right now, the only thing he has to care about is darts.
"For me, the first thing I worry about is my own kids, my wife, and then comes darts."
The US Darts masters gets underway on Friday night, with Van Gerwen and Littler named as the top two seeds for the event.
Mighty Mike will kick off the tournament against Danny Lauby, while Luke the Nuke takes on Matt Campbell in the opening round.
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Van Gerwen won the tournament last year and is looking to win the £20,000 prize at Madison Square Garden again.
He said: "[I'm] looking forward to it. The setting is absolutely amazing.
"The PDC did a great job to bring darts back to the most iconic venue in the world.
"All the big sports have been there, and you wanna perform there - simple as that.
"The field this year is quite strong, I think - same as the Premier League, of course.
"The PDC did very well with this lineup, and this country deserves it - they deserve the best.
"We're playing in the best venue. You wanna compete against the best to make the sport bigger, and that's really important."
Meanwhile, Littler has revealed he will be taking the chance to have some time away from darts and visit Disney World in Orlando with his family while he is over there.
Ahead of the final, Littler revealed he would be open to a career switch to boxing to fight TikTok "loser" Beavo.
Speaking on The MMA Hour podcast, Littler revealed he did not like the viral star and said he would not mind entering the ring against him.
Littler explained how Beavo, real name Brandon Beavis, went viral on TikTok in 2023 for "swallowing potatoes whole".
Beavo has since responded to the callout by labelling Littler as "fat" and telling him to "get in the gym".
Littler said he previously ignored an invite to get a kebab with Beavo.
