Michael van Gerwen urged Luke Littler to start acting like a grown man after The Nuke turned up late for his media duties on Wednesday.

Both players were due to speak ahead of the opening Premier League night in Belfast, where they will meet in a rematch of the World Darts Championship final.

Littler arrived at the venue later than many of his rivals, prompting Van Gerwen to hit out at the teenager in his own press conference. He also urged the PDC to stop treating Littler 'like a baby' given that he is now legally an adult.

When asked what he thought of Littler turning up 25 minutes late, the Dutchman replied: "45 minutes late, you mean? They need to stop treating him as a baby, yeah? He's not a baby any more. He's 18 years old now.

"It happens. He has to learn but he needs to learn the hard way. It's a professional sport, so you have to be responsible for your actions as well, simple as that.

"If he turns up late for an interview, I don't really mind, but now seven other people are waiting for him. That's not really nice, is it?"

It remains to be seen if sparks will fly on stage when the two players renew their rivalry in Belfast, with Littler heading into this year's Premier League as the defending champion.

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